The Selection
by SexyPurpleBeast
Summary: Only one girl can win the crown. For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. To be swept up in a world of priceless jewels & glittering gowns. To live in a palace & compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Perseus. But with only two months for him to make his choice, could one mistake ruin everything?
1. Prologue - Percy

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

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**A quick note before we begin my dear readers. This story will have an audience-picked ending! With my other stories, I usually have the entire plot drafted and I just need to put it to words. However, on my profile is a poll, where you can go vote for the pairing you want to see! The poll is anonymous and the more votes, the more fun! **

**Also, check out the links (located on my profile) where the boards for the girls, outfits, and events are. This is just to help you guys get a feel for how I'm imagining it, but if you'd prefer not to – it's not required to do so - just don't look at it. The rules for voting are at the bottom and I hope you enjoy!**

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Prologue: PERCY

"Two minutes," somebody called. Two minutes until my entire future unfolded in front of me. It shouldn't be so nerve wracking that I was ready to vomit at a moment's notice.

The census had been compiled, the figures checked multiple times. Preparations were underway for when the girls arrived next Friday. For them, the process started once they filled out the forms – thousands must have. For me, it started tonight.

"Percy, darling, are you really okay?" My mother asked, for what must have been the fiftieth time. She wasn't looking at me, but my reflection in the mirror right behind the camera. She looked like the queen she was.

"It's just…it's…"

"Get it together. You look like Hades." My father snapped. It was probably meant to be an insult, to both myself and my uncle. My father wasn't normally like this – He was just really stressed about tonight. We all were.

"Don't forget to smile. It'll work out," Mom reassured me before taking her seat. She wore a long red gown and some pearls. Her hair was piled on top of her head, framing the crown she wore every day of her life. Luckily for me, I wouldn't have to wear a crown for a while, because I was only a prince.

The anthem began to play as _In Narratio_ began. Our weekly news broadcast was always shown throughout the kingdom, and tonight it would announce the thirty-five selected girls I would have to choose from. One of them would be my bride. I was aware of people talking and I figured I should pay attention. I focused on Apollo, my cousin who was interviewing my mother, and tried to not tap my foot.

"Your Majesty, any advice for the Selected young ladies?" He smiled.

"Enjoy your last night as an average girl. Tomorrow, your life will be different, no matter what. And it's old advice, but it's good: be yourself." How long did it take her to become so composed, so flawless? Had she always been that way?

"Wise words, my queen, wise words. Now just one more question I'm sure every citizen in Olympia is dying to know," Apollo turned to me. "Your Majesty, did your father happen to share any of this information about the Selected with you?"

Information? What had they talked about, surely I hadn't been out of it that long. "Not at all. I'll see them when everybody else does." I smiled confidently, even though I had none.

Apollo nodded knowingly; no doubt he'd been in the room with my father when they'd been drawn. This was just the script he'd been given to say. "And with that, let us reveal the thirty-five young women for the Selection. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the following Daughters of Olympia!"

I turned my attention to the screen, which currently held the national emblem and a small box in the corner with my face on it. What? They were going to watch my reactions the whole time?

Mom put her hand on mine, reassuringly, but it was all I could do to breathe in and out. Then it began.

"Miss Clarisse La Rue of Sparta, Three," Apollo read out as the picture appeared on the screen. It showed a girl with brown hair. Her arms were toned and she appeared to be extremely strong for a girl. She wasn't smiling in her picture, just staring, and she appeared to have no make-up. It was an interesting choice.

The next picture was in black and white. It was a close up of a pretty girl with dark hair and prominent cheek bones. She was smiling at something above her and she looked like she was in love.

"Miss Silena Beauregard of Crete, Two," If she was a Two, then she must model. I tried to smile a little brighter – the last thing I wanted to do was insult a family of Twos.

"Miss Selene Castley of Paloma, Three," Apollo continued, but I didn't look at her picture. Instead I leaned toward my father and whispered, "I feel sick."

"Just breathe. They're only girls," He tried to reassure me. It didn't work.

"Miss Zoe Nightshade of Lakedon, Four" I looked over to Mom. She smiled, "Very pretty."

"Miss Gwendolyn Brass of New Rome, Four" A redhead. She was pretty, but didn't stand out really. She would be somewhere in the middle, no doubt.

"Miss Annabeth Chase of Francisco, Five," I heard the word _five_ and tried to catch the monitor before it changed. This was the first Five so far, and I was curious to see if I'd keep her around based on her looks. It changed as I looked up, and I only caught a glimpse of blonde curls.

"Miss Calypso Atlas of Ogygia, Two," I decided to just look above the monitor and smile for the rest. I'd get copies of their profiles after the show so I could memorize names. I'd do it then, when my reactions were private.

Apollo continued to list off names until he'd finished all thirty-five. "Those are our beautiful Selection candidates. Over the next week, they'll be prepared for their trip and we will eagerly await their arrival! Tune in next Friday for a special edition of _in_ _Narratio_ devoted to exclusively to getting to know these spectacular women. Prince Perseus, I congratulate you, sir. But don't worry." he added looking at my face, "I'm sure they'll do most of the talking once they arrive next Friday. Until next time: good-night Olympia!"

The lights went down and I let my posture relax. My father stood and gave me a firm pat on the back. I jumped, "Well done. You did a great deal better than I thought you'd be."

"I have no clue what just happened."

He and my mother laughed, "I assure you, Perce, there's no need to be stressed. Don't you agree, Sally?"

"Of course, the ladies have much more to worry about than you do." She confirmed. My father turned to one of his advisors and I escorted my mother to dinner.

"Don't worry, dear. We'll get the photos and applications to you so you can study them. Treat it like spending time with any of your other friends."

"I don't have many friends, Mom. Most of them are family."

She wrapped her arm around me, "Trust me. It'll work out and I'm sure you'll love one of the girls picked. Besides, Jason will get here tomorrow – he'll help you."

I sighed and tried to think of anything but the Selection.

* * *

The week passed rather uneventfully. Jason arrived on schedule, the list of girls was brought to my room – though I didn't look at it, and I had a week to do whatever I wanted. I'd sparred with my cousin and teacher for hours a day, ignoring all of their efforts to talk about the upcoming event.

I kept my distance from the Selection until the event crossed my threshold. In fact, I almost forgot about it. I slept in Friday, before casually getting dressed in khaki jeans and a deep blue V-neck. I wasn't going anywhere, meeting anybody – I could do whatever I wanted.

Until I walked out my door and saw the staff wearing different uniforms. _Oh right_ I thought _Thirty five girls who I don't know are moving in today._

I saw maids bringing dresses and jewelry up to rooms, guards being given assignments, and my aunt Aphrodite over seeing everything. I walked quickly outside to the pool area, because none of the girls would be here yet, if any of them even swam. Jason sat at the table eating a sticky bun with a folder out in front of him. He looked over his shoulder as he heard me approach and quickly closed the folder.

I sat down across from him and ran my hands through my hair. I couldn't eat and all I could feel was the nervousness I'd been pushing away all week coming out. I grabbed the folder from him.

"These the photos?" I asked, opening it without his answer. I could easily see they were.

"Yeah – I thought you didn't want to see them?" I sighed, grabbing the pen I always kept in my pocket. It helped my ADHD if I had something in my hands, and a pen wasn't too noticeable.

"I didn't. But I was stupid to not at least _look_ at their profiles. It'll look bad if I don't know their names! Ugh, whose brilliant idea was it to put their names on the back!?" I snapped.

"Calm down, Perce! I'll help you; that's why I'm here!" He reached across and took the stack of applications.

We went through the photos, and Jason wrote down the names of the girls on the front. He didn't write their number on the front though, and I was glad. I didn't want to judge them by their status. Selene, Silena…how was I supposed to keep that straight? Kayla, Katie, Hecate…seriously? This was going to be a disaster. I had to at least learn a few, and until then I'd just rely on the pins they'd be given until I got them all down.

I tried to focus on standouts. Calypso…I remembered the name. A friend of mine, Grover, had mentioned she was a model and showed me a picture of her in a swim suit on the glossy pages of a magazine. She was probably the sexiest candidate, and I certainly wouldn't hold that against her.

Nyssa jumped out at me, but not in a good way. Unless she had a winning personality, she wasn't even in the running. She just wasn't my type. Maybe it was a bit shallow, but was it so bad I wanted someone I found attractive? Ah, Rachel Dare. I easily recognized the name – she had family in New York. She'd be in the running on that alone.

"This one's quite pretty – Piper McLean," Jason commented. She was, but something in Jason's voice kept me from agreeing. He'd sounded the same way about another girl…Reyna Argentum. "And then here's a blonde if you want one of those,"

Annabeth Chase. I studied her picture. Her smile was absolutely radiant. Her clothes showed that she was definitely of lower class. "I'm pretty sure she's a Five," I spoke. Her gray eyes stood out; I had seen eyes like that before, but I didn't remember where. I'd have to ask her when I met her tomorrow.

I smiled, measuring her against the other girls I'd seen so far. She was pretty, if a bit rough around the edges. It was an uncommon type of beauty, and I could tell she wasn't aware of it. There was a certain…royal air she didn't seem to possess, though there was something regal in her obvious pride. You only had to look in her eyes, full of intelligence, to tell she knew she was smart. She could probably figure out how to get anything she wanted in the world, if given the chance.

I didn't know who I would choose, because each girl had an outstanding quality that couldn't be ignored. Annabeth would be an interesting candidate, even though she seemed extremely rebellious. Still, I couldn't shake the urge to pursue her. And that was how the Selection did its first act in my favor: if I had her here, at least I had the chance to try.

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**So there's the prologue! Now you got to see the first Percabeth moment, but I promise you: this will be audience decided. There will be various shipping moments later on, as you get to see Percy interact with all the different girls! **

**Below are the rules for how voting will work. You can find this on my profile and I'll be listing it at the end of each chapter. Voting is now open so go vote, review, PM whatever!  
**

**Hugs & Kisses, SexyPurpleBeast**

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**Please vote on the POLL for your choice of who Percy should end up with in the story! You can vote...**

**In the POLL for one of the 6 main options**

**PM me with the name of your girl of choice**

**Select the "Other" option in the POLL and leave the name of the girl in a Review**

**Leave a Review with the name of your girl of choice**

**For now: only the six main characters, those most commonly shipped with Percy, will be listed as poll options. As the story progresses, I'll edit the poll as necessary. Any other votes must be submitted through a Review. You may submit any girl, even if she is listed in the poll, in your review. If done so - please clearly state it is a vote.**

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	2. Chapter One - Annabeth

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

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**Hi everyone! First off, I'd like to thank everybody who's voted so far! We have a total of 34 votes so far and I'm excited that once we get more readers, more people will voice their opinion!**

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Chapter One: ANNABETH

I was the first one to the airport and I was beyond terrified. The somewhat giddy excitement that had followed the crowds was long gone and I now realized exactly how scared I was of flying. I'd never been on an airplane before.

My aide, who'd assist me after the Selection, Amphitrite led me to a small table set for four at the airport café. She kindly ordered me a cinnamon bun and some thousand calorie coffee drink before she went off to load my luggage onto the plane. I was left to wait for the others alone and with nothing to do. I wished I had brought a book or something to keep me occupied.

I looked over my uniform that had been delivered earlier this week. All the girls would be wearing the same shirts, pants, and shoes as me, but we'd been able to customize them as we saw fit. I'd gone simpler with only a pair of owl earrings.

I couldn't believe I'd let my family talk me into signing up. When I'd agreed, I knew there was a miniscule chance of me being chosen – I had no idea that I would be drawn. Don't get me wrong, this was an amazing opportunity, but I wasn't sure I wanted to compete against thirty-four other girls to marry the Prince. I wasn't sure if being Royalty was worth the possibility of not loving my husband.

Sure, I didn't know I wouldn't love him, but it'd be difficult to try and win his attention against all the other girls – most of whom were Fours or better. I was confident that I was one of three in the Fifth caste.

Our castes were defined by jobs. Ones were pretty much royalty and Eights were the criminals or homeless. I was a Five, an educator. Technically speaking, I was only three steps up from dirt, but I was determined to prove I was worth a Two – just like my older brother Malcolm.

My thoughts were interrupted when two girls in white shirts and black pants just like mine walked up, their own aides leaving with their bags. I wasn't sure how this whole competition would work, but I'd like some people I could consider as friends while I was here.

"Hi," I said brightly, "I'm Annabeth."

"I know." said the girl on the left. She was a brunette with electric blue eyes. She had on dark eyeliner, but not tons, and lots of eye shadow that actually looked cute with her black hair. "I'm Thalia. Thalia Grace." She introduced herself. Her shoes were like mine, but the tops were higher than mine and came up to her ankles.

She wore a necklace with two gold lightning bolts on it and a gold ring with black stones also making up a lightning bolt. I thought back to my limited Geography lessons my mother taught me. She must have been from Long Island; their symbol was lightning, but I'd never learned why. I'd have to ask her later.

She shook my hand and smiled, before stepping back and introducing the other girl. "This is Miranda."

Miranda had light blonde hair and light green eyes. She wore a necklace with a bunch of purple and pink beads, and a pink beret. She gave a neat little wave and smiled, but that was it. I wasn't sure if she was shy or just trying to figure us out yet.

We sat down at the table to wait for the fourth girl who'd go with us, and Thalia dug into my untouched cinnamon bun. Personally, I found her kind of intimidating, but she seemed nice. She talked nonstop since she sat down, explaining that when she got nervous she couldn't stop talking. So we settled into an easy conversation. Thalia loved movies, and so did I, though I rarely got to see them. She also liked running and archery, though her mother disapproved.

Miranda would giggle or give her input every once in a while but never more than that. If she was asked a direct question, she would give a brief answer and go back to her pretty guarded smile. I learned she had barely turned sixteen, though she looked a lot younger, and was a Three from Dakota. Her family owned a vineyard and worked with another family who owned a winery. Her necklace was meant to look like grapes.

Though we had introduced ourselves almost an hour ago, the time flew by and we wouldn't have stopped talking except for the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat.

There tapping her foot, was a brunette with sunglasses on. Unlike Thalia and Miranda, she didn't smile. She wore pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. She smelled of Moonlace, an extremely rare flower only found on Ogygia – an island of the coast of Long Island.

She removed her sunglasses to reveal chocolate brown eyes and put them in her small white clutch. She looked us up and down before handing the bag to her aide. When her back was turned, I heard Miranda breathe an "Oh, no".

This girl I recognized; Calypso Atlas, a Two. Thalia muttered a hello under her breath, trying not to show the intimidation was obviously getting to her. Calypso merely looked at her and sighed. "When do we leave?" She asked. It was obvious she was trying to scare us. She was in this to win, and pushing us to our breaking points was a great way to get ahead.

"We don't know," I snapped without a trace of fear. "You've been holding up the show."

She gave me a once-over and she wasn't impressed. "Sorry, quite a few people wanted to see me off and I couldn't help it." She smiled wide, showing she was meant to be worshipped and expected to be so. I really hoped I wouldn't be surrounded by girls like this.

Before any of us could say anything else, a man stepped through a door to our left. "I hear all four of our Selected girls are here?"

I had a flutter of hope he wouldn't like Calypso, but it apparently wasn't meant to be so.

"We sure are," She replied sweetly. He sort of melted a little; you could see it in his eyes. He paused a moment, before continuing. "My name's Paul. If you'll just follow me, we'll get you ladies on the plane and on your way to your new home."

* * *

I discovered flying wasn't bad at all, despite what Thalia had said. We were offered food and movies, but all I wanted to do was look out the window. I watched the huge country from above as we headed east.

Calypso chose to sleep throughout the flight, which was a small mercy. Miranda had a foldout desk and was already writing letters about her adventure. It was a good idea and smart of her to pack paper. I wish I'd thought of it.

"From the minute we met, she's been nothing but proper. She'll be tough competition," Thalia observed, gesturing to Miranda. The two of us were sitting across from each other in the big plush seats at the front of the plane.

"You can't think of it that way. Yes, you're trying to make it to the end, but not by beating everyone else. Just be you. Who knows? Maybe Perseus would prefer someone more outgoing?"

Thalia thought that over and chuckled. "Outgoing…I was hoping for rebellious. But I guess it's a good point. It's hard not to like her, she's pretty nice. And so beautiful," I nodded in agreement as Thalia look around and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Calypso on the other hand…"

I rolled my eyes. "I know. It's only be an hour, and I'm already looking forward to her leaving."

Thalia looked sort of nervous, which looked weird for someone like her, so I continued. "Besides, girls like that will take themselves out of the competition."

"I hope so. Sometimes I wish…sometimes I wish the Twos would know what it feels like to be treated the way they treat us." She was a Four. I didn't answer, but nodded. It'd never happen.

"Thanks for talking to me, Annie. I was worried that everyone would just be out for themselves, but you and Miranda have been awesome. Maybe this will be kind of fun."

"Thanks, you've been cool too. But don't call me Annie."

She laughed and got up, heading in the direction of the snack bar.

* * *

When we landed, the terminal was full of people jumping and cheering with cameras and signs. Luckily, Calypso was in front, beginning to smile and wave. I did the same and followed the group to the car.

I wound up as the unlucky one who had to be stuck next to Calypso in the car, with Thalia and Miranda together in front of us. As we drove, crowds lined the sidewalks with signs. Thalia beamed as she stared out the windows and it was obvious why. Her name was on several of the signs and it was impossible to count how many admirers she had.

Miranda's name was sprinkled in there, too, almost as much as Calypso's and far more than mine. Miranda didn't seem to mind, but I could tell Calypso was irritated.

"Do you think she bribed someone?" She whispered to me, as the other two spoke and pointed at things out the window. She meant Thalia.

"She's a Four, Calypso. She doesn't have the means to bribe someone."

Calypso sneered. "Please. A girl has more than one way to pay for what she wants." She turned back to the window, signaling our conversation was over. It took me a minute to understand what she meant. Thalia may want to win, but she'd never sleep with someone to get it. It was against the law, and punishable by death – it wouldn't do her any good.

As we got closer to the palace, I didn't have a clear view. But I could see the walls clearly enough. They were a pale white stucco and very, very high. Guards were placed on top at either side of the wide gate that swung open as we got closer. Inside we were greeted with a long gravel drive that circled a fountain and led to the front doors, where officials waited to welcome us.

With little more than a hello, two women grabbed my arms and ushered me inside. "Sorry to rush, Miss, but your group is running late," one of them said, casting Calypso a look. At least not everyone bought her sweet girl act.

We went into a room full of bustling people. A swarm of them parted, and I could see rows of mirrors with people doing girls' hair and nails. Clothes hung on racks and people were shouting things like, "I found the dye!" and "That makes her look pudgy."

"Here they are!" A beautiful woman with blonde hair walked over in a pink gown, which was nicer than anything I'd ever owned. "I'm Aphrodite; I'm in charge of your appearances while you're staying with us. Now, first things first: we need before pictures…"

She led us over to a corner with various backgrounds where they took pictures quickly and efficiently before informing us about the special they'd be doing about our makeovers. Sure enough, as I looked around the room, teams of cameras were wandering around the room, zooming in on girls' shoes and nails, and interviewing them. As soon they had all our pictures, Aphrodite began shouting orders.

"Take Lady Calypso to station seven, Lady Miranda to eight…and it looks like they're done at two. Take Lady Thalia up there, and Lady Annabeth to four."

I was ushered away to a station where a dark haired man named Mitchel started talking. "So here's the thing. We need to talk about your image."

"My image?"

"How do we want to make you look? With your tan and blonde girls, we can make you the blonde preppy girl, but if you don't want to go that route, since you were a five, we could go with the chic-nerdy route, too." He said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not changing everything about me for some guy I don't even know."

"Oh, my. Do we have an individual here?" He sang, smiling. "I like it. Leave everything to me. We won't change your image, we'll _enhance _it. You're aversion to all things fake will be your greatest asset here, darling. Don't lose it."

The next few hours were spent "polishing" as Mitchel referred to it. I had women scrub my body because apparently I couldn't be trusted to do it myself, before every bit of exposed skin was covered with lotions and oils that made me smell like the ocean – which the prince apparently loved more than the vanilla scent the other girls were using, according to Mitchel.

Next they did my nails, which were trimmed and buffed. I asked them not to paint my nails, but they were so disappointed I let them do my toes. The girl picked a deep royal blue that actually looked nice. Once they finished, I heaved a sigh as I waited for the team who'd do my hair to come over.

The girl next to me was shaking and had a cape draped around her body.

"You okay?" I asked her.

She gave me a nervous smile, "They want to dye my hair black. They think it'll look better with my skin tone. I'm just nervous, I guess."

"Black will be pretty. You're Zoë, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Annabeth." She smiled. "You came in with that Calypso girl. She's awful!"

I rolled my eyes. Since we got here, the entire room could hear her yell at some poor maid to bring her something or to get out of her way.

"You have no idea." I muttered. Before we could say anything else, teams of people came to work on us.

My hair was washed, conditioned, hydrated and smoothed. The guy doing it said it would make my curls softer and less frizzy. They cut it so my hair looked prettier and the curls looked more like ringlets than a big frizzy mess, and they assured me it would stay that way as long as I used the shampoo they would have supplied in my room.

A pretty-looking girl did my make-up, but lightly. Lots of the other girls looked a little older or younger or just nicer after the make-up, but I still looked like me. Of course, so did Calypso, piling it on.

I'd gone through most of this process in a robe so I was led to a rack of clothes, where three young women stood. Mitchel introduced us. "Annabeth; this is Mellie, Hebe, and Nancy. They'll be your maids during your stay," The three curtsied as he continued. "They've been in charge of making your entire wardrobe. I'll let you ladies get acquainted; it was nice meeting you Annabeth!"

The girl in charge, Mellie, led me over to a changing room. "We had to give you a look, and luckily you chose to stay a lot like you were, so it should work. Your day dresses are going to be cute, but with a style similar to your caste," She gestured to the rack which had just been brought in.

There were lots of formal dresses on the rack, in varying colors, along with lots of skirts and cardigans. I could see what she meant; they were classy, but looked like classic schoolgirl uniform with a princess twist.

"Your evening gowns, though, have to fit standards set by the Queen herself. So, to make you stand out a bit, we went with a simpler look to your dresses." She hesitated, like she was worried I would get angry. When I smiled, they got to work.

They sat me down on a cushioned chair away from the mirror because they wanted to surprise me. Mille and Nancy re-curled and twisted pieces of hair. I soon learned Hebe was the chatter box of the group. She immediately began to gossip about the day's events as she applied my make-up. She insisted she was going light, but she had a pile of products on the counter next to me.

"Apparently, the princes were out and about today. Jason's been in and out looking at the girls, but Percy refused to meet any of them. He's probably going to wait until tomorrow, like he's supposed to, but I overheard Aphrodite talking to Mitchel and apparently that's when he's going to make first cuts!"

The other girls squealed. "This is going to be so exciting! I can't wait to see who he takes a liking to; there has to be at least one,"

"Hopefully it won't be Calypso, that girl is getting on my nerves!" Nancy snapped.

"Nancy!" Mellie scolded. "You know it isn't our place to judge the girls!"

"I know! But let's face it; unless you're a member of the royal family, she acts like an entitled bit-" She cut off, looking at me. "Sorry."

I shrugged to let them know I didn't care. They continued about who they thought was cute, when the prince's family would arrive, and what the other girls would be wearing as they fitted me into a Cream colored gown. It didn't have any sleeves, but two crisscrossing straps and a bow across the back. The bottom had a pretty floral edge.

Hebe grabbed me some gold sandals which she thought would look pretty, but I was just thankful they weren't heels. The sprayed some perfume on me that came out of a blue bottle before stepping back to look at their work.

I turned to the mirror; I looked beautiful – almost like a deity – but I wasn't too done up. You could tell I wasn't a One, just a Five in a nice dress.

Hebe squealed again. "Oh my goodness, Miss, you look like a Two! We didn't want to do too much, because everything will have to come off tonight after the tour or dinner, depending on when you go. It's not necessary to make you overly pretty, because you won't be meeting anybody important tonight. We're certain the others will spend hours getting undressed tonight. But you'll need your sleep for tomorrow since you'll be meeting Percy!"

That was the second time she'd called him that. "Percy?"

"Oh! Sorry, Miss. He's friends with nearly everybody in the palace, and he hates being called Perseus, so he goes by Percy. Maybe he'll tell you all tomorrow…"

I laughed; she made him sound like a normal teenage guy. I had a feeling I was going to get along with these girls.

Mellie led me out of the room back over to the photographer who began snapping after pictures. Two girls sat on one of the couches, staring at me. One I recognized as Lou Ellen, a Three. She had on a long yellow dress that looked radiant with her hair. The other girl I didn't know, but she had brown hair twisted up on top of her head and a black dress.

True to Hebe's word, both wore excess jewelry and make-up. They whispered back and forth, glancing over at me on occasion. I heard the sound of heels approaching us, and I smiled when I recognized it was Thalia.

"Hey!" I greeted her, "Look at you!"

Her hair was several inches shorter, just above her shoulders, and layered. She wore a long sleeved black dress that only came down to her knees, black tights, and high black heels with gold spikes on them. She had gold lightning bolt earrings on and lots of make-up; black eyeliner, mascara, gray and black eye shadow, and deep red lipstick.

"Look at you too! You look good, Annie. I'm not really a clothes kind of girl, but it won't be too bad – there isn't a single pink thing in my wardrobe! It's great!"

I chuckled. "Thanks!"

Thalia looked like she wanted to say something but Aphrodite walked over. "Alright, ladies. Now that our last group has arrived, I can take you four on a tour and show you where your rooms are. Come on now, no time to waste!"

Thalia and I looked at each other, giving each other a nervous smile, before we followed Aphrodite out of the room and into the palace which would temporarily be our new home.

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**Chapter One – I apologize because it's kind of slow, but stuff will pick up soon! Chapter 3 will be a chapter focusing on a tour of the palace and the get-to-know-you dinner for all the girls. And then, Chapter 4 will have the meeting of the Prince! So review, tell me what you thought, vote etc. **

**SexyPurpleBeast**

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**RULES**

**Please vote on the POLL for your choice of who Percy should end up with in the story! You can vote...**

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	3. Chapter Two - Thalia

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

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**Just a quick announcement for you guys. Due to the size of the chapters, it will usually take me a few days to write a chapter! The only reason I uploaded two days in a row was because I like to keep a chapter ready to go after the Prologue since they're usually so vague. So normally expect a chapter a week. Glad you all like my story! If any of you out there are hoping for a non-Percabeth ending, I'd highly suggest you go vote (already have 82 votes).**

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Chapter Two: THALIA

"So I believe introductions are in order," Aphrodite announced as she led us out into the hall. The plush red carpet cushioned my feet and it felt great in the heels they put me in. My maids were a quiet bunch, but at least they understood I did not wear pink.

The four of us all looked to each other, wondering who'd be the first to speak up. One girl also wore black, but it was more of a classy black. The other had orange hair and wore a yellow dress. I didn't recognize either of them, but why had I needed to before now? All I'd heard all day was that the prince was supposedly making first cuts tomorrow.

My mother had told me about how at the last Selection, they'd aired a special on the tests all the girls had to pass. She'd drilled me on to always act like a leader, just in case somebody _was _watching. Looked like now was as good of time to start.

"Thalia Grace." I said, short and to the point. I kept looking around and Aphrodite nodded in approval.

"I'm Gwen Brass, Four." The girl with brown hair answered. She glared at me and nudged the other girl to follow her example.

"I'm Lou Ellen McKay, a Three from Corona." She tentatively smiled but kept close to Gwen.

"I'm Annabeth Chase," Annabeth smiled. She didn't mention she was one of the three Fives in the competition, but I knew she didn't need to. We'd all been curious to see which of the Fives, if any, stood a chance. No doubt everybody knew who they were. The others were one thing, since Nyssa looked too young and Agalope just looked weird, but Annabeth was different.

She was _pretty_, with blonde curls and gray eyes that I'd seen the servant boys stare at all day, and she had no need to wear tons of makeup. She was smart that much was obvious, and was only five months younger than the prince himself. I knew that some girls were almost the full two years apart.

We stopped just short of the front doors into the entryway. The ceilings were extremely tall and there were two staircases on either side of the room. The railings were gold and pieces of art hung on the walls in gold frames. Statues sat strategically around the room.

"This is the foyer. It is the first thing our guests see, so it is of upmost importance that it is kept presentable. The art hung in this room, as well as throughout the palace, are made by some of the greatest artists from Corona, the beautiful hometown of Miss Lou Ellen," Aphrodite smiled.

"However should you like to study such art, I would strongly encourage you to go to the gallery. Now come along; let's continue the tour," She chirped.

Aphrodite led us up one of the staircases, both of which adjoined the same hallway. Tall doors dotted both sides. A guard was posted outside each door and when we stopped at the second one, he opened it for us, bowing as we passed.

"This is the women's room. The Queen herself uses this room, along with her closest advisors. No men are allowed in here, unless given the express permission by the Queen herself. Not even the King.

You ladies will spend your Saturdays in here, getting to know each other. Sundays are your free days; you can use any of the rooms that are available to you, and the guards know which rooms to grant you access."

She waited a moment for us to look around. Comfortable couches and chairs sat around the room, a large fireplace sat against one wall with a television above it. It was a nice room, cozy. Too bad we weren't going to be here when it was cold – it would be nice in the wintertime when it was snowy.

"There are many rooms you will be able to use on your free days; such rooms include the gallery, the music room," she pointed to an open door as we passed. A large crystal chandelier hung, blue furniture dotted the room, and I could see a large grand piano next to a harp. I imagine more instruments were in it, but were hidden behind cupboards.

"…the gym, the movie theater, the library,"

"A library? You have a library here?" Annabeth interrupted.

Aphrodite looked a little grumpy about being interrupted, but answered here anyway. "Yes, it is located on the second and third floor on the west end of the palace. However, the third level is off limits because the royal family has their rooms up there. Rule breaking will not be tolerated, so do not go wandering off in hopes of finding the Prince.

In addition to the indoor facilities, you have access to the pools and stables. The Prince is usually pretty lenient, so if you would like access to something, make your request known and he'll do his best to make it happen."

We followed Aphrodite up the stairs and down a hall to a round room. Seven rooms were located in the circle, which I imagine were our rooms. "Your rooms are up here. You will have your own rooms for the duration of your stay. Miss Thalia, you'll be in room number one. Room six goes to you, Miss Annabeth. Gwendolyn and Lou Ellen, you two will be in a different hall. You two may go to your rooms. Dinner will be at six, sharp, so I'll be along to collect you then. Please remain in your rooms until then,"

Aphrodite promptly led the others away and Annabeth looked at me. "At least the palace is nice enough – I don't know about our hall-mates though."

"Isn't it? I can't wait to see the library and all the rooms we're allowed to use!" Annabeth nearly gushed. I wondered if she was in it for the crown.

The way I saw it, it worked two ways. There were those of us who wanted the crown and to be a princess, and there were those of us who wanted to love the Prince. Personally I found myself somewhere in the middle – I did want to be princess, but I wanted to at least like the guy.

I said my good-byes to Annabeth, promising to sit next to her at dinner, before venturing into my room. The floors were white carpet with swirling gold accents throughout it. The walls were painted a deep violet and there was a black mantle over a fireplace in one of the corners. There was a black desk against one wall and a door against another, which probably led to the bathroom. Sheer curtains with hints of purple in them hung over the windows and around the bed, which was a beautiful.

It was round, instead of square – with a half circle lavender colored velvet headboard. Another half circle ottoman, which was a beautiful gold color, sat around the bottom of the bed. There wasn't any comforter, but judging from the weather I wouldn't need one. The sheets were gold to match the ottoman and a variety of purple and gold pillows rested against the headboard.

Normally, I wasn't a huge fan of purple. But this actually worked. Maybe it was the greyish tint to the purple or the euphoria hadn't worn off yet, however I really liked my room.

Three maids rushed out of the door and introduced themselves yet again, though I still forgot their names. The one who appeared to be in charge asked if I wanted to finish getting ready for dinner and I agreed – I needed to make a first impression.

* * *

I scrambled out of my door at ten past six, struggling to pull my high boots on. Aphrodite had instructed us to be out here at six sharp and I was running late. I'd kept my dress, but had painted my nails a deep black and added more dark make-up. My lipstick had changed from deep red to a burgundy color – which my maids insisted was seductive.

I rushed around the corner to where we were supposed to meet, but the only person there was Annabeth. She looked exactly the same as she did before, in fact, it didn't look like she'd changed a thing except for her hair. It'd been brushed back out.

She smiled when I reached her. "Hey,"

"Hey Annie. What have you been up to for the last hour?"

She shrugged and jumped slightly to the sound of a door closing. "I fell asleep – I'm exhausted,"

I nodded, fiddling with a charm on my necklace that was a gift from my father before he left. I didn't like to talk about it – only because I knew he left because I'd been born. He'd told my mother he had never wanted a daughter.

"I wish I could've slept-"

"Am I late?"

I looked over to the girl who'd just come out of her room. She looked like one of the younger contestants. She had gold eyes bordering the color hazel, beautiful colored skin – darker than a tan but not black – and thick brown hair. She wasn't heavy, but she wasn't as skinny as Annabeth was so she couldn't be that low of a caste. She was in no way starving.

"Nope. We're still waiting for another four girls," Annabeth explained. "I'm Annabeth,"

"Hazel Levesque, a Three. Nice to meet you," She smiled holding her hands out for a hug. Annabeth stood and hugged the girl, Hazel, back.

"This is Thalia."

"Hi!" Hazel chirped, holding her arms out. I just stuck my hand out to shake. She looked a little startled, but shook my hand just the same.

Hazel had to be sixteen – she was tiny. She wore a knee length, knit dress that was white with black stripes. She had black tights and knee length boots with a two inch platform to give her some height. Her hair was twisted up into a messy sort of bun that her curls fell out of. She had on a bronze necklace with a large Topaz gem in the middle, a matching ring, and some bronze colored hoop earrings.

She was obviously trying to look older than she was, but she looked cute. Maybe the Prince would like that sort of thing.

"Isn't the palace beautiful?"

"It is," I forced a grin.

Two more girls came out, Hecate and Aurora, a few minutes later. Both introduced themselves, but refused to say anything more. Bordering the edge of an hour past when we were supposed to meet, the final two came out. One introduced herself as Thea and the other muttered a quiet Nike before Aphrodite came rushing into the room.

"Good, now that everybody is ready, let us go down to the dining room. This is where you will have all your meals, and starting tomorrow, the royal family will dine with you. We are running a bit behind schedule but it is alright – you aren't the only ones."

We were shown into the dining room, which was just as beautiful as the rest of the palace, and to our assigned seats. I was the first one to my table and I couldn't help but notice there was only one other group in here so far. Everyone must be taking their time to be ready to meet the Prince.

Groups started trickling in over the next few minutes and girls were seated at my table. We introduced ourselves and made small chat, waiting for this thing to get going. The girl next to me, Persephone, wore a cream colored dress and a necklace decorated with garnets. She talked about the gardens she couldn't wait to see and how she loved Springtime, blah blah.

Once everyone arrived, the get-to-know-you dinner began, but it wasn't true to its name. We were confined to our tables, leaving us to chat with the six of us per table. Luckily, I didn't wind up sitting near Calypso, like Annabeth, but the girls at my table were strange.

Aside from me and Persephone, there was Rachel, Kayla, Reyna, and Circe. We politely got to know each other as we ate the delicacies before us. I learned Persephone was from Mycenae, where her mother owned a chain of bakeries. Circe was from St. George and a fellow Four, but she wasn't very outgoing. She clearly thought of herself as a One – she told us how her step-mother ran a magic shop and picked up a few tricks. Then she demonstrated by turning the floral arrangement into red velvet cupcakes.

Kayla Solace; a Three and the daughter of a famous musician. She looked pretty enough, and seemed nice, but had this obsession with the Saxophone. Reyna Argentum was also a Three, but she was from Bellona. Her father worked for the mayor and her mother worked in the Senate. She had these two dogs she loved and really wanted to go into politics.

Then there was Rachel Dare. She had this mane of red curls and green eyes. She was from Delphi and seemed like she was going to be tough competition. Not only was she pretty, but she had family in New York – one of the most powerful cities in the world. I discovered Rachel liked to paint and she had always had an interest in fortune telling, but her father thought it was a dumb passion and refused to let her pursue it.

We were halfway through dessert when Aphrodite stepped up at the front of the room and cleared her throat. "Attention ladies," The conversations dwindled into silence.

"Now that you all are prepped and moved into your rooms, I will give you some last minute information. Unfortunately, you will not be meeting the Prince tonight."

What? The girls began to whisper to each other, angry they wasted their time getting ready like they had. I hadn't spent too much time, but I was still angry I could have done something else this afternoon instead of getting ready. Now I'd have to do this again tomorrow.

"He'll be meeting you all at breakfast tomorrow, before we get you all your schedules. Tomorrow after breakfast, the Prince will pick one of you to receive the first date. The rest will spend the day getting to know everybody in the Women's room. Beginning Monday, you will have classes – mathematics, English, literature, a language of your choice, history, and two elective classes. A princess must be well educated, so you all will be to. However, once the Prince narrows his choice down to the Elite, ten of you, you will begin taking government classes and learning the responsibilities of being a One.

As you all know, the third floor is off limits and no rule breaking will be tolerated. You cannot physically harm another selected, steal from her, or cause her any stress. If you break this rule, it will be up to the prince whether or not he sends you home. Any questions?"

A couple girls raised their hands, but a blonde girl just called out her question. "Is it true Perseus is going to make first cuts right after he meets us tomorrow?"

"A lady always waits for permission to speak," Aphrodite instructed. "But I do not know. It is up to him, though he will be pressed to make a cut soon after meeting you all."

A few other girls asked some questions, mainly about if it was at all possible to reserve times with the Prince, even though Aphrodite insisted that he would make appointments. We were then excused to go to bed, since we'd need to get up early. Plus, it would probably take me an hour just to take everything off.

I met Annabeth at the door. She hadn't been as outgoing at her table, but none of them were since they were with Calypso.

"Hey, how was it?" I smiled.

"Hi. It was nice, I guess. I'm glad we have a day to kind of prepare to meet the Prince, though. It must be hard for him too – having thirty five girls come into his house and fight over him."

"Haha, yeah. I've never thought about it like that. I always assumed he'd like it – thirty five attractive girls sitting around dying to have his kid,"

Annabeth laughed, earning a glare from Aphrodite who was escorting us back to our rooms.

"True, true. I'm excited to meet everybody, see what their like…"

"You mean how many are like Calypso."

She nodded and we arrived at the hallway which housed are rooms. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight!"

"Night, Annie." I smirked and pushed my door open before she yelled at me for calling her that. I shut the door and leaned against it – my maids weren't here yet.

I sighed, and straightened my dress. I was Thalia Grace. I could do this.

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**So there was chapter 2! Sorry, I'm not used to writing in a POV that isn't Percy or Annabeth so it's kind of bad but oh well! Go review and vote! **

**Next chapter – Percy gets to meet a girl early (vote who you'd like to see it be), First cuts are made, and somebody wins the first date! **

**SexyPurpleBeast**


	4. Chapter Three - Percy

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

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Chapter Three: PERCY

I sucked in a deep breath and put my hand on the door. Then I let my breath out and turned around. I was supposed to go in a few minutes after the girls arrived, but so far it hadn't happened. They were all taking longer than we anticipated. So while my family went about their business, I sat around waiting since this was my only business for the time being.

I hadn't seen the girls since they'd arrived, so I had no idea how different they were. I knew they were offered full make-overs, just so I couldn't tell who was a Two and who was a Five, but they didn't have to accept them. I walked down the hallway to glass doors leading to the back patio and eventually the pool. I needed a minute if I was going to do this.

I was already in a bad mood since I'd been woken up an hour earlier than normal. But now I had to go in there, pick the first girls to eliminate, send them home, and find a date before I could even eat! Of course, there were no rules so I had to decide how to do everything.

For most of the competition, meaning when there were cameras around, I'd have to have somebody approve what I wore. Today, because I was no longer capable of choosing my own clothes, they chose for me. At least I wasn't wearing a suit. I was lucky enough to have jeans, but I was wearing a navy blue dress shirt, a charcoal colored vest, and a black tie. They'd gelled my hair, but as soon as I left the room I styled it back to its normal messy do.

I fiddled with my sleeves, rolling them up to my elbows so I looked a little more casual. I'd get to see Jason after my first date and my second, if they could get me to do another one today. It was warm outside and I wondered how long it would last. It was already September.

I heard a small jingling approaching and I smiled. I crouched down and petted the tiny dog. Mrs. O'Leary was my mother's teacup Yorkie, but she'd taken a liking to me. When I stood, she rushed to be in front of me and led the way. I chuckled and followed – glad to have a distraction.

Normally gardens weren't my thing; I preferred the pool, the beach, my bed. Today, however, it was nice. Nobody would expect me to be here meaning I was well hidden. My mind drifted as I thought about whether any of the girls would have anything in common with me.

I imagine there would be those that would say they liked anything if I said I did. I wondered if there would be cliques of girls here, or if they'd all be out for themselves. Cameras had been places in the commons, the hallways, and all of the rooms that the girls were allowed into. I'd heard there were some in the Women's room, but I didn't have access to those unless it was needed.

There would be teams monitoring the cameras making sure rules were followed and such, but I'd instructed that no cameras be placed in their bedrooms – they deserved some privacy.

Mrs. O'Leary stopped and sniffed for a moment, before she barked and took off down a narrow pathway I probably wouldn't have noticed. It wasn't a main path leading to a safe garden, so I made a last minute decision to follow the dog so she wasn't eaten by something in the bushes.

There were hedges on either side of me, at least eight feet tall. They were almost overgrown, hiding whatever lay at the end of the path. Said path, made of uneven old bricks, turned a corner and Mrs. O'Leary disappeared around the bend.

"Mrs. O'Leary come back!" I pleaded with the dog. Normally she was well behaved, so this was weird. What could be so interesting for her to run off? I heard her barking once again, but this time it was the only noise I heard. I heard a laugh – a girl's laugh.

I froze in place. I wasn't supposed to meet any of the girls until later, but then again, they weren't supposed to be out here yet. Where they?

"Hello, cutie. What are you doing here?"

I didn't even think about it. My legs were suddenly moving and I turned the corner. It was a tiny courtyard, by the looks of it. The path ended and perfectly trimmed grass covered the ground. Raised flowerbeds decorated the edges, near the hedges, which were also cut perfectly like they should be.

A tree sat in one corner, providing some shade, and a stone bench sat underneath. On the bench sat a girl; a pretty girl.

She didn't look like she belonged in this scene – and I couldn't decide if this was a good thing or bad. She wore navy blue, almost black, heels. She had a pencil skirt on, the same color, and a white top with a decorative front on. The only jewelry she wore was a plain pendant necklace – silver.

"Oh," Her voice whispered as she looked up to me. A book was propped open on the bench next to her, but I couldn't read the title.

"Um…" I mumbled. _Way to play it cool, Perce._

We just looked at each other for a moment, neither of us quite sure what to make of the situation. She smiled. "I'm guessing this is your dog?"

"My mother's actually. She ran off, and my mother would be disappointed if a raccoon or something at her." I rambled.

She raised one of her perfect eyebrows. "A…raccoon? I didn't know you had those here,"

I looked to my shoes and mumbled something along the lines of "I didn't know either,"

She laughed and I couldn't help but look at her again. She looked me up and down and I suddenly felt self-conscious. "Aren't you supposed to be preparing your wedding or something?"

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?" I snapped. "I didn't know you were all allowed out yet…damn. That didn't come out right," I stuttered.

She shrugged, leaving Mrs. O'Leary on the ground before standing and dusting off her skirt. She picked the book up and looked at the cover. "I was assured that you wouldn't be in here – that's why I came. They said you preferred other places to the gardens,"

"Normally I do. I was hiding,"

"Come on. Thirty-five competitive girls fighting over you can't be that scary," she scoffed. I rolled my eyes, at least she wasn't kissing up to me like some of the others I knew would be.

"Try being locked away with thirty-five men battling it out over you. Then you'll see where I'm coming from,"

She held the book to her chest and walked passed me. I closely followed behind her, not ready for her to leave.

"So what are you?" I asked, when she didn't say anything else.

"Excuse me?"

"A Two, A Three?" You really couldn't tell what she was.

She studied me before she answered me with a question. "What do you think I am?"

I grabbed her wrist and stopped walking. She turned to face me and I could see the curiosity in her eyes – she wanted to know what I thought she was.

She was tiny, maybe a good half a head shorted than me without those heels. She had muscle, you could tell that much, but she had enough curves to keep her from being a stick. Maybe a Two, or a Three?

"Three?" I guessed, not wanting to offend her by suggesting that I was perverted and call her a Two.

She shook her head.

"Two?" I tried again.

She smiled, and turned to walk away. "Hey, wait! Don't I get answer?"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait another ten minutes before you come in and see my pin – or do you already know my name, just not my caste?"

"I don't know anybody's caste. I chose not to." Maybe she wouldn't notice I didn't know her name.

We walked in silence out of the garden. I stopped before we went into view of the windows, knowing full well that girls would be out of their rooms by now. The girl turned around.

"I guess I'll see you at breakfast, Your Majesty." She curtsied before turning and quickly walking towards the door. I stared after her as she walked – frozen where I was.

She pulled the handle and turned to me, a smirk on her face. "And by then, I fully expect you to know my name,"

She winked and went inside, her blonde curls flying behind her. I stood there, mouth slightly open, and doubted my ability to move. Jason found me like that, twenty minutes later, and fifteen minutes after when I was supposed to have been meeting the girls.

* * *

"C'mon, man! Just do it – go in, talk to each for a few minutes, eliminate those who automatically strike you as weird, crazy, or just no. Then pick one who you think is pretty, give her a personal tour – you know she'll say yes – thirty minutes later, you're done!"

I nodded. Secretly, I knew exactly who I wanted to take on that date; but who knows, maybe there would be others I'd like.

"Right; let's do this." I put on a grin and pushed open the doors. All movement in the room froze, and thirty-five girls turned in their seats to look at me. Five rows of seven seats had been set up in the room, along with a couple of couches and a coffee table.

Aphrodite had been speaking, but she smiled when she saw me. For cousins, we'd always been close despite the seven year age difference. There weren't any cameras in here, so I'm sure that was her doing.

"Hey, Dite. If you don't mind, I would like to introduce myself to these young women," I said, remembering the dramatic script Jason and I had made up this week. Aphrodite had thought it was silly, and I could see her trying not to laugh.

"Of course," she said, bending down to bow. She could be so dramatic sometimes.

I surveyed the faces, looking for the girl I'd met earlier. It took a moment, as I was a bit distracted by light glinting off nearly every wrist, ear, and neck in the room – that and the girl on the back row who was sticking out her chest a little much. I finally saw her, at the end of the fourth row. She was too far away, and unfortunately would be one of the last girls I spoke with, for me to read her pin. So I would just have to wait to know her name.

"Ladies, if you don't mind, one at a time. I'll be calling you over to meet me. I'm sure you are all eager to eat, as am I, so I won't take too much of your time. Please forgive me if I'm slow with names; there are quite a few of you."

I flashed a grin and some of them giggled. I went to the girl on the first row and extended my hand. She took my hand enthusiastically, and I led her over to the couches. As she stood up, I glanced at her pin which said _Nyssa_ in diamond studded cursive.

Sadly, even with palace help, she was no more attractive in person than she was in her picture. Still, she deserved the benefit of the doubt, so I still spoke with her.

"Good morning, Nyssa,"

"Good morning, Your Majesty." She smiled so widely, it looked like it must hurt to do it.

"How are you finding the palace?" I prompted, hoping she'd say more.

"It's beautiful! I've never seen anything so beautiful. It's really beautiful here – oh goodness. I already said that, didn't I?"

_Wish I'd just taken her short answers. _"It's alright. Tell me, what do you do at home?"

"Well, I'm a Five, and my family works in construction. Sometimes buildings, but I personally prefer gadgets…" I kind of zoned out a little bit. Then when she ended, I asked a few more questions. In our conversation, she said beautiful no less than twelve times. I knew there was no way I'd want to keep her here.

"Nyssa, thank you for your time. Once I'm done with everyone, would you mind staying a little bit longer so I could speak with you?"

She agreed, and I asked her send the next girl over, before she left. She tapped the girl on the shoulder and gave her instructions to join me. I stood and as she approached, I recognized her immediately as Calypso Atlas. It would take a dim man to forget that face…or that body.

"Good morning, Lady Calypso." I smiled.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said as she curtsied. Her voice was sugary, and I realized that many of these girls might have a hold on me. Immediately, the blonde girl from earlier came to mind but I tried to push her out of my mind. I was going to do my best to give each of these girls a fair chance.

I motioned for her to sit next to me. "I understand you model,"

"I do," She answered brightly. She seemed thrilled that I already knew this about her. "Primarily clothing, because I've been told I have a good body for it."

And of course I looked. There was no sense denying just how striking she was.

"Do you…enjoy your work?"

"Oh yes. It's amazing how photography can capture a moment of something exquisite. I especially love swimsuits – I just love the water!"

"I love the beach, swimming, everything about water!"

"Really? We'll have to go to the beach sometime!" This was going better than I thought. Within ten minutes, I'd already weeded out a definite no and found someone with a common interest. I probably could have gone on for another hour with Calypso, but if we were ever going to eat, I really needed to move on.

"Calypso, dear, I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I have to meet everyone this morning," I apologized.

"Of course!" She stood, "I'm looking forward to finishing our conversation. Hopefully soon."

The way she looked at me…I didn't know the words for it. It sent a blush to my face, and I nodded in a tiny bow to cover it.

Gwendolyn, Drew, Hazel and several others passed through. So far, most of them were pleasant and put together. But I was hoping for so much more than that – as cheesy as it sounded.

It took eight more girls until anything interesting happened. While I stepped forward to greet the slim brunette coming my way, she extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Piper."

I stared at her open hand for a minute before she pulled it away, right when I was prepared to shake it. "Oh darn! I was supposed to curtsy! The first thing and I get it wrong," She smiled it off and laughed at herself, which was actually quite charming.

"It's alright, my dear. So, Piper, tell me about your family."

"Typical I guess. I live with my dad, my mother died when I was little. He's an actor, but I'm not sure I'd like to go into that. I'm an only child, though I've always wanted a little sibling. Anyways, how are you today?"

I froze. No one had asked a question about _me_ yet. "Alright, it's a bit overwhelming." I blurted, being a bit too honest.

"At least you don't have to wear the dresses!"

"But think of how funny it would have been if I had," We both laughed, and I couldn't help but imagine Piper next to Calypso. They were complete opposites. I left our time together without a complete impression of her, because she kept pointing the conversation back to me. But to be honest, I recognized the…good in here, in the best sense of the word.

It was nearly an hour before I got to Annabeth – which I happened to subtly notice off her pin – and once she got up and began to walk over to me, she was the only person on my mind. In the time between the first girls and her, I'd already found three solid standouts, including Calypso and Piper, who I knew would be favorites with the public. Miranda, the girl before Annabeth however, was so obviously wrong for me that I knew she'd go home today.

Something about Annabeth was mischievous, and from our short meeting earlier I knew it was intentional. "Annabeth, is it?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear as she approached. She gave me an impressed smile, showing I'd passed her test.

"Very good, Highness." She said it like an insult.

"Highness? Please, call me Percy." I blurted, noticing she was the only one I'd instructed to call me by my name. "So my dear, tell me about yourself."

Her face went serious, still guarded but not as harsh. She thought for a moment before she answered.

"I'm from Francisco," that explained the tan, "I want to be an architect." She paused.

"An architect? But isn't that a job for-?" _Fives_. "…Fives. You're one of the Fives."

This was too much to process. It'd never been said, but I knew everybody expected me to send home the Fives today. There were only three, but I'd already talked to the other two and both _were_ going home. I didn't want Annabeth to leave. At this minute, I didn't want her to leave ever.

"You look surprised," she observed.

"I am. I assumed you were a Two." I stared at her. She should be a Two.

"Should I be prepared to go home, today?" She looked generally worried.

"Why?"

She looked to her skirt. She made no move to answer. "I'm a Five – I know you're going to send Nyssa and Agalope home today. Why shouldn't I be worried? I'm always being judged by my caste – what makes you any different?"

"Because castes don't matter; whoever I chose will automatically be made a One, along with her family, so she'll be from a family of Ones. What matters is what I feel about each girl. So tell me: Is there any possibility of you having any sort of…of loving f-feelings for me?" Why was I stuttering? And blushing?

She blushed and looked down at her skirt again. She played with the edge of it for what seemed likes hours while I waited for her answer. I knew it was well passed the five minutes everyone else had been given, but I still sat there trying to convince myself that it was only taking this long because she didn't want to seem too eager.

"You are very kind, Your Majesty." _Yes. _"And thoughtful." _Yes! _"And attractive" _YES! _I couldn't help but notice she was bright red when she added the last one, about me being attractive. Of course, I knew I was, but hearing it from her made it so much more different.

I was positive I was grinning like an idiot, but knowing this girl – who was the only one not fawning over me – managed to see something she liked in me was an accomplishment. Glancing over her shoulder, I noticed Jason had come in and was watching me, along with most of the girls. Fabulous.

Annabeth breathed a sigh and looked up, pushing all emotion from her expression. She stood, "I think my time is up," she sounded sorry.

"Do I get an answer or do I have to work for this one too?" I chuckled.

She smiled at me, "Yes. I definitely think it's possible."

And she walked away. And everybody stared at me, staring at her looking like a love struck idiot. Again.

* * *

I quickly went through the rest of the girls, easily dodging questions about Annabeth and why she was over here so long. A few were lucky enough to stand out, some in a good way and some in a bad way. Jason had left a few minutes after my second to last interview. Now, I just needed to make the cuts and pick a girl to have the first date.

The cameras wanted to capture the first elimination, so as they set up, I walked over to the girls and I'd ask one for the first date. Immediately, I wanted one of the girls who'd made a great impression – Calypso, Silena, Rachel, or Annabeth. Mainly Annabeth.

Then I really thought it through; I'd spent nearly fifteen minutes with her, triple the five minutes spent with everybody else. It would look like I was playing favorites day 1, so I decided to go with a different choice – possibly one who'd made an impression, but not an amazing one.

I scanned the girls and noticed Piper talking to Silena and Lacy, a barely sixteen year old Three. I figured she was a good enough choice, if any, to choose. I didn't know a lot about her and now would be a good time to.

"Lady Piper? A word if wouldn't mind," She smiled and stood up. I escorted her a few feet away from the others so they wouldn't overhear, though they'd know in a minute.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I was wondering, my dear, if I might have the pleasure of giving you a private tour of my home after breakfast?" I pulled a grin, hoping she wouldn't refuse. That would be embarrassing.

She giggled and blushed slightly, "Of course, Your Majesty. I would be delighted!"

"Perfect. I'll pick you up from your room an hour after then?" I wanted to talk to Jason first, see what he thought of the girls. That's what he'd been doing – scouting out the girls while I was elsewhere, see what they were up to. I wanted his opinions and favorites.

"Sounds good!" She flinched after she said that, though I didn't understand why. She walked back to her seat, and began to gush as I walked towards the front.

I smiled and began because I already had a majority of the room's attention. "Thank you all, for letting me keep you all from your breakfast. I sincerely appreciate it, considering what I'm going to have to do now. If I call your name, please stay in your seats. If not, please proceed to the dining room with Aphrodite and I will join you shortly."

I began running a list through my head as the girls prepped themselves, as did the cameras. I'd remembered the names of those I was sending home so it wasn't too difficult. Once the cameraman gave me the signal they were ready, I began to list off the names.

"Lady Melinoe, Lady Agalope, Lady Miranda, Lady Thea, Lady Circe, Lady Zoe, Lady Nyssa, and Lady MiMi; if you eight would please stay, the rest of you may go on ahead."

The other girls got up, some more gracefully than others, and began to exit following Dite. I overheard some of them mumbling about how it wasn't faire two Fives were singled out and no Twos, how the girls I'd asked to stay behind weren't even that pretty, and that they couldn't believe I hadn't asked Calypso to stay. They were all under the impression it was a good thing to be here – including the girls who remained seated.

As the doors closed, leaving me with the eight girls, I realized that this was going to be harder than I thought. I'd only picked eight as definite No's, and I'd have to narrow it down to one. Maybe it would get easier, but I could help but realize that of the thirty-five girls who arrived yesterday, we were already down to twenty-seven.

* * *

**I'm just going to tell you now – it was extremely hard to write the part where Percy and Calypso "bonded". Ugh, I was soo tempted to send her home, but….Anywho, now we're down to Twenty-seven and the first eight girls are gone! I'm starting to get excited as to how this will go, and hopefully I'll get more into details about the girls as Percy does. **

**So, next chapter – **_**not quite sure, leave me some ideas in a review if you have anything you'd like to see. I might put some Percabeth, or come Percabeth/other girl. I haven't decided anything.**_

**SexyPurpleBeast**


	5. Chapter Four - Annabeth

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

* * *

Chapter Four: ANNABETH

The free time between breakfast and lunch was relatively uneventful; and by uneventful, I mean it was spent deviously plotting how I was going to beat my bloodthirsty competitors. Percy had escorted Piper from her room after breakfast and as soon as they were out of sight, the gossip began. Some girls ranted about how he favored her over everyone else – since she was the only one with a date so far, and few girls sat around a table in the common space to compare what she had that they didn't.

Personally, I thought they were overreacting because we'd only met him a few hours ago. Of course, that didn't stop Calypso, Drew, and girl named Aurora from "accidentally" walking in on them while they were in the theatre room and promptly ending Piper's date. All four girls refused to say a word about what went on in that room.

I decided to search out the library. I hoped that this could be my haven, where I could be alone and nobody would think to look for me here. My heels clicked against the tile floor as I located a staircase. I hadn't seen anybody except for the Prince outside of group activities. I actually had been looking forward to getting to know the staff, and don't get me wrong – my maids were great, but if I was going to spend the rest of my life here I wanted to have friends.

I found the library easily enough and froze in the doorway at what I saw. First, there were shelves and shelves of books. They stood nearly fifteen feet tall, crammed with books. Some of the books were obviously newer, but most of them had wear and tear – somebody used this library a lot.

A railing lined the second floor, but you could see the ceiling from the first floor making the room feel a lot larger. Rolling ladders were spread periodically throughout the room; as were couches, loveseats, chairs, tables, and desks. A counter stood off to the back where it appeared a librarian worked, but it was currently empty.

The second thing I noticed was a blonde haired boy. He was holding a book open, but he was pressed up, leaning against the shelf. He was nicely dressed. He wore khaki pants, a white button up shirt, and his hair was gelled. His eyes stared at the book, but his knuckles were white. I recognized him as the boy who'd come in before breakfast this morning. He hadn't been introduced though, so I didn't know who he was.

Before I could say anything, I heard the giggling. A girl was giggling at something the man, whom I could hear chuckling with her, had said. They must have been behind the shelf the blond boy was standing by. He looked up from the book and noticed me. He gave me a small smile and I grinned back.

Without thinking I stepped forward and let go of the doors, which flew back and slammed in the doorway. The voices froze and the blond boy shot into action. He threw the book down and ran over to me, putting a finger to his lips.

He grabbed my hand and led me behind a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room he'd previously been hiding. The voices picked up and I easily recognized Percy's.

"I swear, if this is another group who just happened to want to spend time in the library, I'm going to lose it." He practically growled, but there was something in his voice. He didn't sound the same as he did this morning.

I held my breath, as did the boy. I looked at him, eyebrow raised. He shook his head and mouthed the name Jason. It fit him.

"Hmm, whoever it was must have left?" I still didn't recognize the girl's voice, so I must have not yet met her. "Maybe it was a staff member who didn't realize we were in here?"

"I doubt that, my dear. The entire staff is aware of my schedule, to avoid interruption such as this. However, everybody in the palace lives for gossip and it won't be long before others come looking. I believe it's time we head back."

The two must have been walking as they spoke, because the door was immediately pulled open and shut. Their voices became muffled.

"Who was that?" I couldn't help but whisper. I'd previously been pressed up against Jason, my back against his chest. He sighed in relief and let go of my arms. I was grateful to step away.

"Her name was Reyna. She's a Three from Bellona."

I nodded; I was correct when I'd said I hadn't met her. I wondered what she'd said to Percy to catch his attention. As if he'd read my mind, Jason said "Her mother's a politician, but I guess she's always been into fencing and swordplay. That and their shared love for horses gives them lots in common and lots to talk about."

"Fabulous."

He laughed. "I'm Jason Grace." The prince's cousin; this could definitely work to my advantage. I made a mental note.

I offered my hand as I introduced myself. "Annabeth Chase. Nice to meet you," I smiled. He shook my hand.

"Er…what was…?" I tentatively laughed, letting my question run off. Jason laughed too, but his was careful.

"I'm not really supposed to say anything…but you won't tell anybody will you?" I shook my head. "The Selection is not only for Percy to find a bride. It's for me, Percy's brother, and our other cousin as well. Obviously, Percy is the priority and his brother will have his own selection, but we're supposed to get to know the girls and see if we'd be interested in any."

"And Reyna was one you've been considering?" I guessed, though it was a little obvious. Jason shrugged.

Neither of us said anything, and we couldn't help the awkwardness that overcame the library. Jason was evidently trying to be unnoticed and I hadn't come here to talk – to anybody but the librarian, and only for directions to my needed supplies.

"So…I should go-"

"I probably need to get back to Percy-"

We made our excuses at the same time, pausing momentarily to laugh. Jason's cheeks were pink and I was positive mine were the same.

"I'm going to go…look around then." I clasped my hands in front of me and looked at my shoes.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I've been keeping you from, you know, whatever you were doing. Perhaps I'll see you around later."

Jason started backing away in the middle of his sentence. He turned and practically ran out of the room, leaving me next to the bookshelf. I tried to shake off the gawky feeling he left as I began to search out a quiet nook to work in.

I quickly located paper, notebooks, pens and other office supplies. I grabbed a notebook and some pens and highlighters. Two heavy royal blue curtains hid a bay window with a comfy bench. Overall, the space was nearly the size of a king size bed so I wasn't pressed for space. Also, because we weren't on the first floor I could overlook a courtyard, some of the more populated areas of the garden, and a pool without being noticed. After playing with the locks I managed to open some of the window panes so I'd have to be careful.

I heard the click of heels in the main room and I ventured out to meet the librarian. The woman, maybe forty or fifty, seemed nice enough and showed me where journals and other information about previous selections. I immediately got to work, trying to push the feeling that somebody was watching me to the back of my mind.

* * *

The first week went by quickly, but at the same time seemed to stretch out into years. The Prince only had the two dates that first day and was present at dinner. The next two days were spent anxiously waiting for word as to what would happen. Our lessons wouldn't start until Week 3, so I had plenty of free time.

Day four began with another good note as the Prince began having dates at every meal. There was always one girl missing, and not once did he repeat who he took. Some girls, mainly Gwendolyn, noticed he was only taking Twos out but that pattern was crushed when she herself got a dinner date.

By the end of the first week, he'd gone out with fourteen girls and three of them had been sent home. Amelia Astor, Two, was sent home on day six. She'd had a luncheon with the Prince and Jason, but she'd returned in tears saying she'd been asked to leave. Her closest friend here, Megaera Coveny, asked why but Amelia refused to say anything with everybody pestering her.

She must have said something to Megaera, because she went home after breakfast the next day. Megaera refused to say why she was being sent home, which only raised suspicion that she'd done something the Prince hadn't liked.

The only girl to be sent home with a different result was a girl named Juniper. She was a Four from Panama, a very nature orientated province. She'd had lunch with the Prince on day seven and had come back to her room and announced she was out of the running. She wasn't crying, but instead she looked rather happy.

Her bags were collected by two servants, along with any items from her room she'd grown attached to. Her maids helped the servants and took her stuff away. She smiled. She hugged a few girls, including me, goodbye and walked off. She didn't wear a coat or jacket, and she hadn't even changed clothes.

Nobody thought anything of it, until we got to dinner. The royal family wasn't there yet, but a few boys I didn't recognize sat near Jason. One boy had curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a brown dress pants and a green dress shirt. He was talking to a boy across the table from him, and on his left sat Juniper.

She wore a beautiful, yet simple green dress which complimented her green eyes. Her amber hair was curled into a pretty bun, with a couple of loose curls framing her face and neck. She had always been a quiet girl, but she was laughing and talking just as much as the others at the table.

Most of the other girls shot her curious glances but didn't say anything until they were seated. There was at least a whisperer at every table. Rachel was one, so was Calypso.

"Do you think it's over?" Calypso hissed. You could see fury in her eyes.

"Of course not!" I reassured her, trying not to let my jealousy seep through. Calypso had had a date with Percy and apparently it had gone so well, he had promised her a second early this next week. "If he'd chosen Juniper, I highly doubt we'd still be here,"

"Or he wouldn't have made it public so quickly. If he'd chosen her, he'd keep up appearances for a couple more weeks." Silena reasoned. We all nodded.

"Also, the chair next to his is filled by that boy with the brown hair. No doubt as soon as he chooses, she'll get to sit there." I let the sentence end there, imagining myself sitting in said seat. It was way too early to be planning like this, but I couldn't help it. I had only met the man once, but I had this feeling that I _could_ potentially love him. I would be stupid to let this opportunity pass, so for the time being I would be working like crazy to get us to fall in love.

Of course, every other girl in the room was either thinking the same thing or only in it for the crown. It would take a lot of work, but I was confidant. I could do anything if I put my mind to it – all it took was a little strategy.

"But what is she still doing here? None of the others who have been eliminated are still here!"

I didn't have an answer. Luckily I didn't have too. The royal family arrived and we scrambled up to curtsey. The people at the table, including Juniper, didn't stand but politely smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

Percy greeted the boy, but didn't say anything to Juniper. He walked right past her and as he sat down, began a conversation with a stocky, Asian guy. Juniper turned to the boy next to her and whispered something before filling her plate.

Calypso sniffed and began stuffing her plate. That was one thing I couldn't understand – a lot of girls pigged out on the food here. Yes it was good, but I didn't understand the need to eat so much at every meal. I tried to stop thinking of everybody else and focus on myself. So I filled my plate with fruit and a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.

There was a gentle murmur of conversation around the room. Nike complimented me on my gray dress, and I politely thanked her before complimenting hers. My main plan was to remain as unnoticed by the competition for as long as possible. If I wasn't a threat, I could work in peace.

I felt somebody watching me and looked up from my pineapple. Calypso pointedly flipped her hair and delicately took a tiny bite of the healthiest thing on her plate – French toast. I looked around the room and my eyes fell on Jason. He was studying me, with this look on his face. He didn't look away when I caught him, so I stopped eating. I folded my arms and leaned back, watching him too.

He began coughing very loudly and it was obvious he was trying to cover up his laughter. Some girls looked, but he ignored them. Keeping my eyes, he leaned over interrupting the prince. I gave Jason a silent invitation and he took it.

He started saying something to Percy and he laughed, looking at everyone in the room trying to find out who Jason was talking about. There were six adults plus the king and queen at the table, but they were having their own conversation. Percy still hadn't looked at me, but when he did his eyes skimmed right over me. They paused at Calypso, so I took that as a cue to get his attention.

I waved. He looked back, asked something to Jason and all the teens looked over. I smiled, trying to hide my irritation at all the attention. The boy next to Percy said something, and after permission, switched places with Juniper. She had the prince's full attention as soon as she sat down.

I turned back to my breakfast now that not everybody was looking at me. Calypso growled, "Could you try not to hog all the attention?"

"Excuse me?" I looked at her. _I_ was hogging the attention?

"You heard me. He was trying to get my attention, and you stole it back because you can't have anybody else shine." Oh, now it was going to get ugly.

"Funny. You have had a date with the prince. You have another one planned for later this week. The prince was looking for somebody _Jason _mentioned. He was looking at me and last I'd checked, I still haven't had a date. It seems to me like I'm not hogging any attention."

She didn't say anything back, but sneered as she looked down. It was totally unlike me, but I just had to say it. "Besides. I'm not sure why he'd want to look at you in that ugly green mat of a dress." I smiled as kindly as possible.

It was true – I thought the dress looked bad on her. It wasn't particularly ugly, but it would look better on just about anyone. Silena and Nike looked at each other, but kept quiet. Calypso remained quiet for a second before retorting an answer.

"Green is Perseus's favorite color. I bet he likes it and that's all that matters."

"It may be his favorite color, but when he looked at me, he didn't look too anxious to look back to his _favorite color_. If I were you, I'd try to stick to a more neutral color-"

My insult was interrupted by a loud _smack! _A few of the girls gasped and room went silent as everybody tried to figure out what had happened. My face stung and every inch of me wanted to hit her back, but I couldn't now.

I stood up, pushing my chair back. I was aware every eye in the room was watching me. "You know it's true and you know I have no control over it." I had no idea where this was going, but my voice was getting louder. "I did not come here to be pounded, blackmailed, or humiliated by you. So next time you hear something that for once in your life isn't about you, which I can guarantee will happen eventually in your life, I'd really appreciate it if you found another way to control your anger management issues."

I didn't care anymore if I was supposed to stay here. I pushed open the doors and stormed out of the room, my skirt billowing out behind me. I could hear Calypso starting to sniffle, no doubt her way to keep herself here, but I didn't even think about it. I just needed to get away.

As soon as I was out in the hall I started tearing up. I didn't know what was wrong with me; why I was crying like this, why I'd reacted like that – well no. I knew exactly why I'd reacted like that. But my temper had probably just gotten me kicked out of the Selection.

This thought brought even more tears. I hardly knew this guy, and here I was blubbering like a whale because I was probably never going to see him again.

I didn't pay attention as I moved through the halls. I entered the library, which was once again empty, and ran to the seat by the window that I had adopted as my own. Flinging myself onto the cushion I just laid there. I tried to will the tears to stop, but it was easier said than done. No doubt Calypso had changed the story to make her seem like the victim. She was pretty, the Prince adored her – she wasn't going anywhere.

Me on the other hand; I hadn't seen him since day one, I was nowhere near as pretty as she was, and I was a Five. Nobody would believe me over her.

"I would." A voice interrupted my crying. Apparently, I had been crying out loud. I tried to stop the tears before I faced whoever it was who couldn't just leave me alone. I was glad I wasn't wearing mascara today, or any makeup for that matter, because it would probably be all over my face.

"Look. Thank you for bothering to follow me here, but I'd really just like to spend my last few minutes here alone." I didn't look behind me, but I did look out the window. I was aware that whoever it was, was holding the curtain back so they could see me.

"Your last few minutes? Are you always this dramatic?"

"Yes my last few minutes! You obviously heard my reasoning. And no, quite frankly I am not this dramatic! I'm extremely stressed out, I'm away from home. For some reason I like this dumb prince I've only talked to once way more than I should! The one time I get any god damn attention from him, she has to go mess it up and turn it back to her! I think I'm entitled to a day of dramatic!"

"You like me?"

* * *

**Okay, so I know this is totally out of character and I disappeared for a few weeks. What happened, was I got stuck in the Annabeth and Jason meeting then I couldn't find anything to add so I put this OoC scene with Annabeth to add some drama! I know, it's so unlike me but something needed to be done so…Calypso broke the rules! Technically, I could send her home but…I can't. And I'm going to be honest and tell you why.**

**Calypso is leading in the polls. Yeah. Unfortunately, there are so many more Calypso votes in the poll than there are Annabeth votes in the reviews. So I can't send her home – yet! Hopefully, somebody else pulls ahead but who knows. It's up to you guys. **

**What I can promise you is, somebody is going home next chapter! And this one is going to be different, because it'll be in Percy's POV. So you are going to get to know why this person leaves! So vote, tell me who you want to leave and win and etc. **

**Sorry by the way for the crappy cliff hanger. Not my best work, but it'll have to do. Byeeeee!**

**SexyPurpleBeast**


	6. Chapter Five - Percy

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

* * *

Chapter Five: PERCY

"She's a Five, but you probably know that. She has an older brother, Malcolm, who'd do practically anything for her. He's a Two, so he's always helped his family out financially as much as he could. She loves reading and wants to be an architect." I knew this already. I didn't know she had a brother though.

Juniper was talking about Annabeth Chase. She'd done something to Jason a few minutes ago, but he wouldn't tell me what, and they'd been staring at each other from across the room. It'd been a week since all the girls had arrived and so far I had narrowed it down from thirty-five to twenty-four.

"She keeps to herself a lot. She enjoys company, but she's really…introverted, I guess. She likes to sit in the library. Nobody actually knows where she goes during the day, but I ran across her when I stopped by for some paper earlier. Her best friend in the competition is Thalia Grace."

"Juniper, please come on. Give me some basics I should know!" I pleaded. I hadn't forgotten about her. Under Jason's instructions I tried to narrow down girls who hadn't made a big impression. Then I began to work my way through all the girls starting with the Twos. I was planning on working with some Fours today, but I'd decided to do Annabeth instead. I thought about her, a lot more than I should. If I had to pick my top ten of the girls, she'd probably be in the top five.

"Okay. She's seventeen. Her birthday is January thirteenth. Her favorite color is gray. I'm not sure what she's afraid of, but when a few of us were talking about our fears she flat out refused to say a word. I honestly don't blame her though. Annabeth's very smart. I know she's finished her education already, and she speaks at least three languages that I know of."

"Which three?" Frank asked. Frank, one of my best friends from my childhood, had come to spend a few months here while the Selection was going on.

"English, French, and Latin. She might speak more, but I didn't outright ask her and nobody really knows much about her. She's nice, but she doesn't seek out company. If you want to talk to her, you go to her. The only exception is Thalia, but from what I've heard Thalia and her met on the trip here and really just hit it off. I think Calypso came with them, but neither of them really like her and -"

A loud _SMACK!_ interrupted Juniper and we all looked over to find the source of the noise. Judging from the gasps I could only guess it was one of the girls.

Our parents were just as silent as the rest and my mother looked upset. Calypso was holding her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Annabeth looked stunned. She didn't move, she didn't speak she just sat there glaring at Calypso.

I mentally groaned. I was nowhere near ready for her to leave, but if she'd hurt Calypso I'd have no choice. I'd only been on one date with Calypso, but I knew she was out to win. She would never want Annabeth to stay after she'd hit her.

From our short meetings, Annabeth had come off as extremely proud. It was a great feature, especially when looking for a consort.

"Oh my gods…Calypso?!" Juniper whispered. I glanced at her, looking for an explanation. "Calypso is extremely competitive; always trying to provoke girls into breaking the rules. But I never thought I'd see the day when she finally snapped!"

I looked at Juniper and she had the largest smile on her face. Grover had mentioned there were girls here Juniper had strongly disliked, but Calypso? She'd been nothing but sweet and courteous since she'd arrived.

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked, confirming my confusion. Juniper didn't answer as Annabeth shot up from her chair, shoving it away from the table. Everybody was watching her, just like me.

"You know it's true and you know I have no control over it." Her voice rang out across the room and you'd be stupid if you couldn't hear the anger in her voice. "I did not come here to be pounded, blackmailed, or humiliated by you. So next time you hear something that for once in your life isn't about you, which I can guarantee will happen eventually in your life, I'd really appreciate it if you found another way to control your anger management issues!"

Calypso had hit Annabeth? My feelings on the matter were split. One side of me couldn't help but wonder if she'd been provoked, or what had driven her to hit her. The other side, which was much more dominant in my mind, was furious. All I could think about was why Calypso had even considered hitting her. I wanted her out. I wanted her so far away she could never touch Annabeth.

Annabeth stormed out, not bothering to ask for permission from Aphrodite. I knew I was probably supposed to stay and comfort the now crying Calypso, but I didn't bother. I just stood up, ignored the stairs of the girls, and followed her out of the room.

She must have been running because Annabeth was at the top of the stairs when I exited the dining hall. I broke into a sprint trying not to lose her. I took the stairs two at a time and when I reached the top the door to the library slammed itself shut. I jogged down the hallway and opened the door.

Inside the library, a room I hardly ever stepped foot in, I could hear Annabeth crying. She sounded angry and I could hear her muttering through her sobs.

"She's not going anywhere! Me, on the other hand; me, I haven't seen him since day one! I'm nowhere near as pretty, plus I'm a Five!" I could hear her catch her breath. "Who would ever believe me over her?"

I found her lying on a bench near a window. Heavy blue curtains stood on the side, which would probably hide the nook under normal circumstances. I pushed the curtain away and leaned against the column framing the window.

Before she could start again – meaning before I could lose all the courage I'd mustered up – I spoke up. "I would."

She froze and sat up. She didn't face me, but she appeared to be brushing away her tears and trying to hide all evidence she was ever crying. I could see her reflection in the window. She had puffy eyes and the tip of her nose was red. There were tear marks on her cheeks and overall, I couldn't help feeling she looked cute when she was upset.

"Look." Her voice was shaky. "Thank you for bothering to follow me here, but I'd really just like to spend my last few minutes here alone."

"Your last few minutes?" She was being overly dramatic and I asked her about it. "Are you always this dramatic?"

What I could only justify as her temper came out. "Yes my last few minutes! You obviously heard my reasoning. And no, quite frankly I am not this dramatic!" She smoothed out the skirt of her pretty gray dress. It was a little long for the warm weather, but the color looked pretty on her. "I'm extremely stressed out, I'm away from home. For some reason I like this dumb prince I've only talked to once way more than I should…"

This caught my attention. I knew most of the girls would give me anything I wanted, but part of me figured I'd have to work for any of her attention. Now she likes me? I felt a small blush cover my face, but I tried to give her my full attention as she continued to rant.

"The one time I get any god damn attention from him, she has to go mess it up and turn it back to her! I think I'm entitled to a day of drama!"

She didn't say anything more, so I figured it was my turn to speak. I tried to say something diplomatic but all that came out was, "You like me?"

Her shaking shoulders stopped moving and I could see her gray orbs widen in the window. The light from inside made the window look like a mirror against the morning sky. I didn't know if she could see me as well as I did her, but I figured she had no clue it was me who followed her.

"Your Majesty! I-I…" She looked down, her hair hiding her bright red cheeks.

"I told you to call me Percy." I chuckled. "May I?" I gestured to the seat next to her. She gasped a slight _Oh!_ and scooted over to make room for me. I sat down next to her. She crossed her ankles and refused to look at me.

When she didn't say anything more, I asked "You okay?"

She wiped the underside of her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah. I just…need a moment and I'll be fine." Her right cheek was returning to its normal color, but her left remained bright red.

"Does your cheek hurt?"

"No. I feel fine." She flinched when I touched her face, and I knew it wasn't from her nerves.

"Beth, she practically sucker punched you in the face! We have an infirmary; let me take you down-"

She crossed her arms and turned to glare at me. "I'm fine." She growled, but the corners of her lips were turned up into a tiny smile.

I couldn't help but laugh at her face. I knew she wasn't one to be messed with, but she was like a kitten thinking she was a tiger. She looked adorable trying to be tough.

"Okay; no medical. What exactly-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Annabeth, be reasonable. We were in a room full of people and she hit you. I need to know what happened, because the rules state that I'm supposed to send somebody home-"

"Then you can make that choice without me. I'm not going to talk about it."

I knew it was more than likely if Calypso knew Annabeth wasn't going to say anything, she'd exaggerate her story so I'd have to come up with something. I didn't want to think about it now and I pushed it to the back of my mind.

I looked around and noticed a grandfather clock. I had about ten minutes before I had to meet Reyna for a date. A small part of me wanted to push it back and stay with Annabeth, but it'd have to wait. I was trying to figure out what to say and I guess I was making a face.

"You have to go, don't you?" she sounded disappointed. I nodded, "Yeah. But come on, I'll walk you back to your room." I stood up and offered her my hands. Annabeth smiled and took them, allowing me to walk her back.

We made small talk, but I don't think either of us minded. It was nice and I felt like I wouldn't have to put on a façade around her. It was a reoccurring theme – whenever I was with her I didn't have to watch what I said, what I did, anything.

I made a mental note to schedule a breakfast date for first thing tomorrow with her. If everything went well, I had no doubt she'd be an even stronger competitor than she already was. I kissed her cheek and enjoyed the dazed look on her face before I walked away, peeking over my shoulder a few times as I went.

* * *

Reyna laughed and grabbed a few jelly beans from the bowl sitting between us. She'd had a thing for them since I'd met her, and they were the only sweets I'd seen her eat. This was our second date and so far things had been going well. We weren't super close, but she wasn't a bad match so it was only smart to explore whether or not we had a connection.

Reyna was a Three from Bellona. She had piercing dark eyes and glossy black hair, which today was wrapped into a braided crown around her head. She wore a gold, toga-like dress today and she looked absolutely regal.

"No, _Fortuna. _She's the roman goddess of luck. You have a feast, pray to the goddess and give offerings in hope that she'll grant the Province good luck. If she is displeased, however, she can send bad luck to our province. It's a tradition we've celebrated for years."

"So…it has nothing to do with tuna?" To me, it sounded weird – why would you have a feast for tuna? But even after she explained it, it still sounded weird. The Gods didn't care what we did as long as we respected and worshipped them.

She giggled and shook her head. "Nope,"

"Well thank Poseidon. Tuna is nothing to be worshipped." She laughed again and looked at me. It was uncomfortable looking at her too, so I focused my attention on grabbing a blue jelly bean from the bowl. When she didn't look away, I stared up at the palace that was my home. We were sitting on a blanket outside, on a hill overlooking the grounds. Above us was a large pine tree that had been here since before I had been born.

"Can I ask you something?" She finally spoke, her voice was careful but curiosity leaked through.

"Of course, my dear. I can't guarantee I'll know the answer, but I can do my best –"

"Why is she still here?" I didn't even get to finish before she interrupted. She was no longer charismatic in the slightest. Her voice was cold, professional – no doubt this question had something to do with the gossip the girls spent all their time doing. I wasn't sure they were aware I had their maids reporting the gossip, just for mild entertainment.

"Who?"

"The _five_." She curtly answered. _Oh, Annabeth._

"Why wouldn't she be here?" She had my attention. I knew there was lots of speculation going around about why I still had a Five here.

"Well, she's a Five. She'll probably go on to teach or who knows what else the Fives do. She clearly doesn't have the proper education on how to be a monarch."

"Fives are educators – they receive a lot, if not most, of the education in all the castes. Yes, she hasn't been trained to rule, but how many of you actually have? She hasn't done anything wrong…" Quite the opposite actually.

"I've heard she beats her maids. There was a commotion earlier this week, where someone in her dorm screamed at her maids for messing up a dress. Apparently it looked like one the queen had worn the night before and rumors were pointing to her since her dress looked the closest…"

"I highly doubt that, my dear. The help is under strict instructions to report any mistreatment given. It's something we want to know about."

"But if you were being hit every day, would you come forward? Knowing that whoever it was would know you'd done exactly what you were told not to?" I could hear her temper rising a bit, just as mine was.

"Unless her maids report something, there is no reason to suspect her of mistreating them. They seem to be fine and it is nowhere in your business to be worrying about it." I snapped. I thought back to the way I'd seen her act. Yes – she definitely had a temper, but nothing bad had happened yet.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset you." She spoke, her voice sounded sincere. But I knew that most of these girls could put on an act if they wanted to. "But, why is she here? If none of those things are true, I'm curious. What makes her so special?"

I was hesitant to answer. There was no doubt about it; whatever I told her would get around to everybody within the hour. I was not going to come out and say she was not only one of the prettiest competitors as well as the only person who treated me like a regular human being.

"She's different. Out of all the girls who came here, she's one of the few who didn't change completely despite the resources available. Even so, the rest who stayed close to the way they were before were upper class. She hasn't been fighting for attention, which is always something to appreciate."

"Your Majesty, it sounds to me, based on what you just said…that she doesn't really care."

"What?" She flinched at my reaction, but continued.

"She hasn't tried to get your attention, or please you. It seems to me like she doesn't really care." I had to think about it for a moment. When she said it like that, it did sound like she didn't want anything to do with me. But when we were together, she seemed to like being with me. She'd blushed when I'd kissed her earlier. Didn't that mean she liked it?

"Then I guess you're wrong."

"Excuse me? Are you trying to ignore the facts or just plain stupid!? I am worth your time! She's not! My mother is a politician; I know how to run a country, I'm gorgeous – hell, I'm the best candidate you've got! She's just a poor, ugly little bitch who should have gone home on day one!"

Her face was bright red and somehow during our argument we'd stood up. Her hands were clenched into fists, she trembled and her eyes were cold. I was clenching my jaw, trying to sort through everything I wanted to say to her. Of course, none of it was appropriate and I would be in huge trouble if I said a word.

"Get out."

She blinked. Her face paled before she crossed her arms and stood up straight. "Going inside isn't going to change my opinion on the matter. She'll still be in there, and you'll still be here being idiotic-"

"Not inside. Leave. I think I've seen quite enough." I began to march down the hill and I could hear her running after me.

"What? You can't just ask me to leave! Do you know who I am? I don't think you understand-" I stopped and she ran into my back. I turned around and it took nearly everything I had not to hit this girl.

"I don't think _you _understand. I believe I can ask you to leave, and I am. I do not want to marry you. I do not want a Queen who thinks so highly of herself that she looks upon her subjects as people less worthy than her. If you cannot get along with some of the best women in the country, then I can assure you that you are not capable of ruling a country. I expect you to be gone by dinner."

Her mouth hung open and she was furious. "Is this about what I said about Annabelle, or whatever her name is?"

"As a matter of fact, it is."

"She's a FIVE!"

"She's a Three – just like you. Now go. I don't want to speak about this anymore. Your maids will be sent to your room to help you pack, and I trust you to keep quiet about why you are being sent home." I made it clear by the tone of my voice that it was not up for discussion. She was not to speak a word of what went on.

She looked to the ground and nodded once.

"Goodbye, Miss Argentum." I turned and marched through the doors, ignoring her cries as I went. I gave directions to the guards to clean up outside and see that Reyna made her way back to her room. I had another two dates today, but I wouldn't be going. I needed to be alone – maybe spend some time sparring. I needed to vent.

"Percy! That didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would! How did it go?"

"Terrible. Cancel my other dates for today, I won't be going." I directed the second portion of that to Dite, who'd joined us.

"What happened?" "Surely, it wasn't that bad!" They spoke over each other, but I didn't care at the moment. I would regret this later, but right now I needed to be alone. I shut the door in their faces.

* * *

******IMPORTANT STUFF: I need a Beta for this story. I just don't have the time to edit this multiple times, and worry about grammar and ideas as a whole. I'll look at other profiles, but if you are interested – please review or PM me. I'll be forever grateful! **

**Chapter Five, everybody! I'm sorry if it isn't too angry but I wrote it while listening to Best Song Ever by One Direction (Enough said, but it really is the best song ever!) But Reyna went home. Honestly, I didn't have a problem until it was obvious she had a thing for Percy too. Oh well, I'm a complete Percabeth shipper. **

**Now, a few things. First, I got a Tumblr! Please go follow me, because I don't have too many: AnnaBitch-Chase . tumblr . com If I get lots of my readers following me, I'll post previews and extras on my Tumblr for you all to see!**

**Now, I have to say something about the poll. A few of you have thought this, but the numbers near their names are not their votes. It is their caste – There are actually around 200 poll votes alone, so it is completely secret who is and isn't winning unless I tell you. Surprisingly, after the last chapter lots of people went and voted – but it wasn't for who I thought would be getting the votes. We actually have three contenders and all three are within ten votes of each other. There is a seven vote difference between first and third, second place is behind by two. I'm going to take out two of the options for those who have obviously lost, so go vote!**

**Next Chapter, a few girls go home. Then Percy has an…unexpected date ;) Tell me who you think will get it and why! I'm also drafting a Punk!Percy story – tell me if you would want to read it or if I should just forget about it. **

**Thanks to all you guys who review, either once or every chapter! Cute as a button, every single one of you! :) **

**SexyPurpleBeast**


	7. Chapter Six - Rachel

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [OC/AU] {Percy/?} {Annabeth/?}

* * *

Chapter Six: RACHEL

"Who was the President of the United States during the Third World War?" Aphrodite quizzed us.

We were in the library today, which had been set up to host our lessons. There were tables that seated two girls each, and simple chairs that I'm sure promoted good posture. This was the first time I'd been in the library – as was the case with most if not all of the girls. The only person who'd ever been in the library, as far as I was aware, was Annabeth.

When I thought her name, I couldn't help but look over at her. She sat on the front row and next to Thalia Grace. Her outfit today didn't vary from the school girl look, but she managed to pull it off. She had a lace bodice with a collar, a high-waist vintage red skirt, and a cameo necklace. Her hair was straight today, instead of her usual curls. I wondered how long it had taken to do her hair this morning.

She'd changed after the events at breakfast. It was the first day Annabeth had ventured to wear a dress, and immediately she'd caught the Prince's attention. After Calypso had slapped her, he'd run out of the room after her. I guess he'd escorted her to her room, but he'd left for his date. Calypso wasn't her normal bratty self, so I could tell she was nervous.

She'd broken a rule – she'd hurt another girl. She'd been bawling as Perseus ran from the room, claiming that Annabeth had called her and her family some pretty colorful things that I didn't dare repeat, but I didn't believe her. I'd only talked to Annabeth once or twice and she seemed like somebody I would want to be friends with.

Now the pressure was on. No doubt whatever Annabeth said would affect Calypso's outcome. Despite what she looked like, would the Prince follow the rules and send her home? Would he even bother to ask her side of the story?

The question was repeated and I turned my attention back to the front. This was one I didn't know, and I averted my eyes. I hoped Aphrodite wouldn't call on me. Luckily, Sadie – a Three from Boston – tentatively raised her hand and answered.

"President Walter?"

"Correct. President Walter was the president before the Egyptian **(I'm just making this up as I go. I'm not claiming that this will ever happen, just so you know. A lot of it is based off stuff in the book, just with names and places changed!) **assault and continued leading the United States throughout the war." Aphrodite wrote something down on the paper in front of her. I personally thought that she was keeping tabs on who knew what. I whispered this to Clarisse and she confirmed what I was thinking.

"They'll probably teach whoever wins private lessons on what they don't know. You can't have a princess who doesn't know the history of her own country."

I nodded and waited for the next question. "What was their motivation for invading? Calypso?"

The brunette tossed her hair over her shoulder before answering. "Religion. The Egyptian Gods believed that we, and our Gods, were on the path of becoming more powerful than them." I'd known this answer. Today, most of our monarchy families were descendants of the Gods – Olympia's King was named after his ancestor, Poseidon.

"Excellent, Calypso." Aphrodite gave her a polite smile, which led me to believe she wasn't too fond of the Two. "When the United States became more involved with the Gods, they began to make great strides in technology – including war materials. When it looked like they could face a threat of invasion, the Egyptians invaded. Unfortunately for them, they didn't gain any respect. They were despised by the Americans, who even considered renaming themselves after their ancient ancestors. However, they did gain American labor. And when the Chinese took over, what did they rename the United States?"

I raised my hand, along with a few others. "Persephone?" Aphrodite called.

"The American State of Egypt."

"Yes," Another thing onto her paper. "The American State of Egypt had the appearance of its original country, but was merely a façade. The Egyptians were pulling strings behind the scenes, influencing any major political happenings, and steering legislation in their favor, and against the Gods' will."

Aphrodite began walking through the desks slowly. I looked around and noticed a few people looked confused. Wasn't this common knowledge?

A girl at the back of the room caught my attention. She had sleek black hair, a tiny frame, and a few freckles dotting her nose. Bianca di Angelo sat alone at a desk, looking at her fingers. Normally when we had to partner up, she went with Reyna. But Reyna was on a date with the prince, and I guess if you had a date that meant you could skip lessons. I prayed to the gods I would be lucky enough to get a morning date – I hated this. I'd much rather be painting or drawing or anything really.

"Does anyone have anything they'd like to add?" Aphrodite asked. Drew piped up, but she hadn't answered many questions. She seemed much more interested in her nails.

"The Egyptian invasion prompted several countries, particularly those in Europe who followed the Gods, to align themselves with one another."

"Yes," Aphrodite continued. "However, the American State of Egypt had no such friends at the time. It took them nearly a decade to regroup, and they could barely handle that, let alone forge alliances. When it became clear that Egypt had their eyes on more than just the ASE, the entirety of what was North America banded together to fight Egypt."

Piper raised her hand, "And then Perseus headed up the assault against Egypt?"

"Correct!" Aphrodite gushed, but she was interrupted by someone who hadn't bothered to put her hand up.

"And our Prince was named after the great leader!" A lot of the girls gushed and some even clapped.

"Yes, yes." She chuckled, and I knew she thought it was cute, but she had a job to do. "And that led to the founding of the country. The alliances formed by the ASE created a united front and since no one wanted to readopt that name, a new nation was formed under Perseus and named after the Gods' home. He saved this country."

Gwendolyn raised her hand. "In some ways, I think to think we're kind of like him. I mean, we get to serve our country. He was just a regular citizen who donated his money and knowledge, and that changed everything!" She said with amazement in her voice.

"That's a beautiful point. And exactly like him, one of you will be elevated to royalty. He became king as his family married into power, and for you, it will be marrying into this family."

Another hand went up behind me, but I didn't bother to turn around to look. Silena's shrill voice rang out in the air. "Why is it we don't have any of this in a book? Wouldn't it be more helpful to study with?"

"Dearest, history isn't something you study. It's something you should just know." She ended the subject and moved on.

Now that I thought about it, I had never seen a history book. Maybe the Fives had them, but it didn't make sense why it wouldn't be available to the public. I remembered a few years ago, when I went into my father's study and found him reading an old book. When I asked about it, he said it was a U.S. History book. He asked me to keep it a secret and I did so without question. I never bothered to question the lack of truth until it had been placed in front of me. Why did the king just let us guess?

* * *

"She must have done something terrible," Helen insisted. We didn't talk that much, so I didn't really know her. She was really pretty though.

"That's not what she made it sound like," Bianca countered.

Hazel pulled on Bianca's arm. "What did she say again?"

Reyna had been sent home. This particular elimination was crucial for us to understand, because she was third who'd been isolated with the Prince when she'd been asked to leave. She was also the only one who'd had two dates with the Prince so far. She had done something wrong, and we all wanted to know what it was. Up until now, he'd seemed to like her. So what did she do that was unforgivable?

Bianca, who had been the closest to Reyna, had seen her return to her room and was the only person she'd spoken to before she left. Bianca sighed and retold the story for the third time.

"She and Perseus had gone outside, kind of like a picnic. They had snacks and just talked, but you knew that." she said, waving her hand around as she spoke. After he'd made the plans with her yesterday, she'd gushed about their plans to anyone who would listen.

Bianca continued. "When she came back, she was crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she was leaving, that the Prince had told her to go. I gave her a hug, I mean why wouldn't I? She was so upset. Then I asked her what happened. She said she couldn't tell me about it. I really don't understand that – maybe we're not allowed to talk about why we're eliminated?"

"That wasn't in the rules, was it?" Silena asked, running over to the bookshelf along the wall of the women's room. She began looking for the rule book, which was accessible for us to use.

"No, it definitely wasn't." Calypso said. A few others nodded in confirmation and Silena returned to her seat. "But what did she say?"

Bianca sighed again, she probably didn't want to give this information away. "She said that I'd better be careful of what I say."

The room went quiet a moment; everybody was considering. "She must have insulted him," Clarisse said.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Annabeth asked. She'd been sitting in a chair, listening to the conversation but never really saying anything. She always seemed to be the analytical type.

"Maybe she said something about the country? Like politics of something?" Thalia spoke up, defending her friend. Thalia was kind of strange, but she seemed nice enough.

Drew sucked her teeth. "Please, how boring must that date have been for them to start talking about policy? Has anybody here actually talked to Perseus about anything relating to the country itself?"

Nobody answered, so she took it as her cue to continue. "Of course you haven't. He isn't looking for a coworker, he's looking for a wife!"

"I think you're underestimating him," Piper objected. "Don't you think Perseus wants somebody with opinions and ideas?"

Calypso laughed and crossed her legs. "Perseus can run the country just fine. He has teams of people to help him make decisions. Besides, he's trained for it. Why would he ever want someone else trying to tell him what to do? If I were you, I would start learning how to be quiet!"

"At least until he marries you," Drew sidled up beside Calypso. "Which he won't."

"Exactly!" Calypso grinned. "Why would Perseus bother with a star-struck wannabe Three when he could have a Two?"

"Hey! He doesn't care about numbers!" Piper cried.

"Of course he does, sweetie." Her tone matched that which someone would use with a child. "Why do you think everyone below a Four is gone?"

"Still here!" Annabeth spoke, raising her hand. "So if you think you've got him figured out, you're wrong."

"Says the girl who doesn't know when to shut up!" Calypso snapped. That was cold and I could see Annabeth was hurt. I balled my fist, trying to decide if it would be worth hitting her. I decided to try a different approach before Annabeth could do something dumb.

"Seems to me like she knows exactly when to shut up." I smirked when Calypso focused her attention on me.

"Excuse me? Did I ask for your opinion?"

"Well I just figured, you know, since you slapped her this morning and you're still here. Do think that if Annabeth had made a huge deal about it, one of you would have gone home."

Thalia chuckled. "And unfortunately, you're still here."

Annabeth looked uncomfortable in the spotlight and Calypso looked ready to blow a fuse. "Well tell me, smartass. What did you two talk about?"

We were all curious. Nobody knew exactly what had gone on while we were still at breakfast. She licked her lips and thought about her answer – something must have happened if she wasn't willing to tell.

"He asked me if I was okay…and what had happened. Then he walked me back to my room." She stopped. I could tell she was telling the truth, but part of me wondered how much. Why wasn't she gushing the details?

"What did you say?" Hazel asked.

Annabeth didn't get the chance to enter, because Aphrodite walked in. "Lady Atlas? The prince would like to see you,"

Eyes widened and Selene even gasped. Calypso just stood up, brushed off her skirt and marched out of the room behind Aphrodite. This seemed to end the conversation because Thalia, Annabeth and Hazel left to return to their rooms. A few others did as well, but I got comfortable – I wanted to know what happened in that room when Calypso got back.

* * *

Calypso never did come back. I spent the rest of the day in one of the gardens painting, a few others ventured out to join me and we talked about who we thought would become Elite. When Lou Ellen came rushing outside, saying she'd seen the Prince walking around and Calypso hadn't been seen, we all got our hopes up.

Maybe she'd been sent home too. If Calypso went home, it would be an interesting week. She was no doubt the prettiest girl here, with maybe the exception of Silena, but without her…I didn't want to think of the options. I would never be the prettiest, but I was fine with it.

When we arrived at dinner, Calypso was still missing. So was the prince. Now that we were down to almost twenty, we'd been given new table assignments. Aphrodite explained as we entered that it was vital we get to know and support each other.

This time, I was placed at a table set for five with Clarisse, Silena, Drew, and Annabeth. I wore a long green evening gown, which was pretty plain but looked pretty with my hair. Silena looked as beautiful as ever, with a beautiful red dress. It was backless; the top sparkled with gems as it faded into the skirt.

Clarisse wore a simple peach colored dress and little makeup. She wasn't super pretty and hadn't been on a date with the Prince yet, so I wondered if she'd last much longer. Drew, as usual, wore this extraordinary navy dress, with this huge and ruffled skirt. If anybody could pull it off, it was her.

Annabeth wasn't too dressed up tonight – which was a surprise. I would have thought she'd dress up, keep the Prince's attention for as long as she could. She wore a knee length gown. It was a basic dress style in light blue, and over top was a layer of sheer fabric with a floral pattern. The sleeves came just passed her elbows, and she topped it off with nude pumps.

Her hair was straight again and styled into a simple up-do with pearls strategically throughout. It was an interesting combination, because normally dresses like that were day dresses. Everybody always wore floor-length gowns to dinner. Her style was different than it had been though, she looked…classy. She wasn't showing off, like Calypso did, but if you hadn't met her you'd automatically assume she was a Two.

The royal family, with the exception of the Prince, walked in. They had guests, like they had all week, but this time they were joined by Apollo Solace – the host for _Narratio_. We'd be interviewed on this week's show and it would be very exciting.

Apollo stopped at a few tables, chatting with the girls. He kissed his sister Kayla's forehead, and spoke to the other girls. At ours he winked at me, and smiled at Annabeth. "That shade of blue looks lovely on you – if I were you, I'd consider that with some white polka dots?"

He didn't wait for a response and continued on his way. Rumors had been spread for years that supposedly Apollo could foretell the future. Nothing had every publically been said on the matter, but everybody knew that if he was telling stories, the royal family would have no problem denying it. So everybody believed he was telling the truth – and thousands of girls dedicated themselves to following in his footsteps and serving as Oracles to the country. I wondered if he'd seen her wearing a dress like that.

Only minutes later the Prince and Calypso walked in. They were both laughing, but it wasn't super loud. Everybody was talking. Calypso was wearing a black evening dress. It was pretty conservative on the top, with a close neckline and elbow length sleeves, but the skirt had a large slit up the side which ended at the very top of her thigh.

The dress was lacy and intricate, perfect for dinner with guests in the palace. Her hair had been curled and it reminded me of Annabeth. She wore five inch high heels, with gold plating on the straps. Her make-up looked perfect, with large black lashes and bright red lipstick. She wore lots of bracelets and a ring on her thumb.

The Prince wore what he normally did, but together they looked like royalty. You could tell from the glances that all the other girls noticed, but the royal family didn't spare the two a glance. Whispers started up, and I could hear some from other tables as well as Drew's and Silena's.

"I thought she'd be going home!"

"What is she still doing here?"

"Has she been with him since this _morning_?!"

"Look at that dress! It's gorgeous!"

Annabeth was silent. She didn't look upset, but she didn't look happy. I didn't need another thought to realize she was trying to hide whatever emotion was plaguing her mind.

As the Prince pulled her seat out for her, Calypso paused and whispered something in his ear. He laughed before whispering something back. He quickly made his way back over to his spot and immediately began talking with the others at his table. Only a few looked happy.

The girls at Calypso's table began to talk immediately after she sat down, no doubt demanding the detail s of her day. Surprisingly, Calypso just smiled and politely asked not to talk about it. She was doing what Annabeth had done earlier, she was keeping the details to herself. Clarisse noticed this too, and leaned over to me while Annabeth was talking to Drew.

"What do you think she's up to? She's never hesitated to brag about what's happened between her and the Prince?"

"I don't know. But if we're going to stand a chance at winning, we're going to have to make a plan."

"To find out what she's hiding or to eliminate her from the game?"

I looked at Calypso from across the room. I felt a pair of eyes on me and looked up to find Apollo smirking at me. He winked and turned back to the conversing adults. I had the feeling he knew what we were talking about. I took a deep breath and smiled, "Both. Let's do both."

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**And scene! There's Chapter 6 everybody! I hope you all liked it; any thoughts on what's happening between the Prince and Calypso? (: For the next couple chapters, with a few exceptions I'm going to try and work on getting to know the other girls. One chapter will take place on **_**Narratio**_**, where Apollo will be interviewing the girls – on live television, might I add. **

**Unless I'm a speedy demon, I won't be able to update until late next week. I'm going to Vegas and won't have my laptop to type on – hope you all don't hate me for disappearing! Hopefully by then I'll have my BETA chosen, I'm beginning to narrow it down. (If you're interested, PM me for the application) Any chance we could break 250 reviews by the time I get back? If we do, perhaps I'll take a fan suggestion for something to happen – so in your review, tell me something you'd like to see in soon and I'll give a shoutout to whoever's idea I use!**

**Next Chapter: I will have a Q&A in the Author's Note. Questions about the story, characters, plot etc. will be answered – so if you have any, now is the chance to ask! Also, we will be hitting a major milestone in the next chapter…do you guys want a hint? (: Of course you do, and because I'm in a happy mood (because I just saw ONE DIRECTION & 5SOS LIVE! – pictures are on my tumblr, annabitch-chase) I'll tell you… that somebody gets the first official kiss from Percy… (like official, on-the-lips official, kiss)  
**

**Kay, I'll leave it there… SexyPurpleBeast xx**

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**Remaining Girls in the Selection & their Castes**

_(So you can know the girls you can still vote for, to add variety)_

_Thalia Grace, Four_

_Clarisse La Rue, Three_

_Silena Beauregard, Two_

_Lacy Lovell, Three_

_Selene Castley, Three_

_Calypso Atlas, Two_

_Gwendolyn Brass, Four_

_Lou Ellen McKay, Three_

_Hazel Levesque, Three_

_Piper McLean, Three_

_Drew Tanaka, Two_

_Helen Brouillette, Three_

_Aurora Tanner, Two_

_Katie Gardner, Four_

_Kayla Solace, Three_

_Sadie Kane, Three_

_Hecate Pratt, Three_

_Bianca di Angelo, Four_

_Rachel Dare, Four_

_Persephone Hepburn, Three_

_Nike Keeper, Four_

_Calliope Muse, Three_

_Annabeth Chase, Five_


	8. Chapter Seven - Annabeth

THE SELECTION

_I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners. _

[SexyPurpleBeast] [BETA: Annabeth Brady] [OC/AU] {Percy/?}

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Chapter Seven: ANNABETH

I told no one what had happened between Percy and me; not Thalia or even my maids. Something was holding me back and I wasn't sure what it could be. More than likely it was the knowledge that I'd only known him for a week. We hadn't even seen each other much during that time – I shouldn't have been feeling these kinds of things.

Even though it was only a kiss on the cheek, it felt like a wonderful secret – if it was even that – that I could revisit any time of any day. And to be honest, I thought about our sort-of kiss more often than I expected I would.

I knew I wasn't going to fall in love with Percy overnight; my heart wouldn't let me – it was physically impossible. But I suddenly found myself in a place where it was becoming more and more of a possibility every time I saw him, in a place where that was something I might want. Particularly the next morning when Lacy Lovell announced to the half-full Women's Room that Percy had kissed her.

When Aphrodite had informed us that she would be helping the Queen with an unexpected project and we would have a free day today, I did not anticipate being woken up by screaming girls. I'd decided I was going to sleep past noon – which would be a first since arriving at the palace, order in some brunch, and then relax in pajamas until dinner. However, that would not be the apparent case.

"Annabeth!" There was a loud slam which could only have been from my door. "Annabeth get up! Something's happened!"

Despite it being well past the time I normally got up, I couldn't help but roll over and throw a pillow in the general direction of the voice. Whether or not I hit said person, they started tapping me incessantly.

"Come on, Annabeth wake up! This is-"

"Is she up yet?! Come on Hazel – when we sent you we thought you would be faster than this!" Another voice interrupted Hazel and then proceeded to help her wake me up. I threw a blind punch but once again hit only air.

"It's not my fault, Sadie! She won't wake up!"

"What's keeping you two?! All the others are awake by now, if not on their way down!" Drew spoke.

"She won't wake up!" The two voices overlapped.

"Oh for the Gods' sake, let me do it! Annabeth! Let's get a move on! This is huge and I guarantee you'll want to hear this!" My covers were ripped from the bed, exposing me to the cold air of the room. Next went my pillows. Deciding to just deal with whatever was so important so I could go back to sleep, I rolled over and cracked my eyes open.

"Drew, why do I need to be woken up on my free day-"

"HE KISSED HER! THE PRINCE FREAKING KISSED HER AND SHE WON'T SAY ANYTHING UNTIL _EVERYBODY_ IS IN THE ROOM, SO GET. UP!"

I did as she said, not daring to believe what I'd heard. "What?"

Hazel and Sadie stood dutifully behind Drew, who'd probably ordered them to alert me in the first place. They nodded with wide eyes. We'd all known who Percy was taking out this morning, but it couldn't be.

"But…But this was their first date! And he actually kissed her; a real kiss?"

"On the lips." Drew looked close to tears, but she said the words loud and clear. There was no way.

"Give me three minutes." They rushed out, skirts flying behind them and I jumped out of bed. My maids had come in during the commotion and they ushered me to a chair.

Nancy immediately ran a brush through my hair before pulling half of it up in a simple, yet elegant do. Hebe gave me my toothbrush and told me to brush, while she put a tiny bit of make-up on; she brushed some mascara on, dotted the underside of my eyes with foundation and coated my lips in lip gloss.

Mellie, meanwhile, had run into the closet to find something for me to wear. It wasn't appropriate to go out in my pajamas, but there was no time to change. Last night, they'd forced me into a practically sheer white nightgown. It was low cut, sleeves that barely reached my elbows, and a lacy floral pattern on the floor length skirt. I was actually glad they had or else the other girls would be seeing me in my virtually see through tank top and boxer shorts.

Once the necessities were done, along with perfume and a long gold chain with a beautiful pendant representing my home province was around my neck, Hebe slipped my feet into some simple gold flats while Mellie wrapped me in a cover up. It was a long, multi-color floral print dressing gown, with gathered sleeves that were ¾ the length of my arms. The basic color was close to cream, but you could see the expensive colored threads in the design. I was confident the gold thread weaved into the leaves was real.

As they were giving me a last look over, I couldn't help but ask what was so important that I look good first thing in the morning. They giggled and ushered me out, Mellie whispering something about how it would have to do on such short notice. I couldn't help but smile, their energy was so contagious. I'd have to press them for details when I got back.

I didn't run down the halls, but I wasn't walking either. The only place I figured they could be was in the women's room and my thought was proved correct when I saw a few other girls rushing in. I hurried in, not bothering to shut the door since only half of the girls were there.

Chairs and couches had been moved throughout the room. In the center, backed up to the fireplace, Lacy Lovell stood front and center with Silena to her left and Piper to her right in front of a couch. Calypso sat on the arm of the couch next to Silena, who'd leaned back enough to let her see.

Girls crowded around, bouncing on the edge of their seats. I wasn't the only one still in my pajamas, but I was easily the most well-dressed. A few girls wore nightdresses, while others wore sweats and tank tops. A lot of the girls were already dressed for the day, obviously in hopes of running into Percy.

I found a seat next to Thalia, who wore another black dress. She shrugged her shoulders, but didn't look thrilled. "Are you upset?" I whispered. Bianca ran through the door in a white nightgown with two girls I didn't recognize on her heels.

"Of course not…well, I guess I sort of am. How did we miss this? He's never shown a preference for Lacy before! Why did she get the first kiss, especially after his day with Calypso yesterday?"

"Maybe…maybe she kissed him yesterday, but didn't want to say anything?"

"No. No way in hell would she keep that a secret! If he'd kissed her, she would have come back declaring the crown hers."

Thalia had a point, but we didn't expand on the idea. Selene and Hecate, the last two girls to arrive, shut the door behind them and collapsed on the ground. Since neither bothered to find a chair, Piper began.

"Tell us everything!" She insisted.

Most of the other girls were no doubt curious as well, but Piper was one of the most enthusiastic. Lacy didn't need encouragement. She sat down and fanned out her dress, it was a light blue day dress with lace around the neck and skirt. It looked like she was practicing to be the princess, and I felt like telling her that one kiss didn't mean she was winning.

Lacy Lovell was a Three from Waverly. She was sixteen and I guess her birthday was only a week before the Selection deadline, so she'd just barely made the cut.

"Well, I don't want to go into too many details, but it was quite romantic!" she gushed, tucking her chin into her chest. "He took me to the roof. There's this place that's kind of like a balcony, but it looks like it's used for the guards. I couldn't tell. We could look out over the wall and see the whole city. In the other direction, you could see the ocean, glittering in the sunlight as far as we could see.

"Perseus picked me up before I was planning to leave for breakfast. He was dressed much more casually than he has so far – he had on a white t-shirt, some khaki shorts, and flip flops. I'd actually never been happier I was wearing flats, today…"

I zoned out as Lacy went into every detail about their walk out and breakfast. For somebody who didn't really want to share details, I don't think she left a single thing out. I was the only one who wasn't too interested apparently, because everybody else hung onto every word she said like a lifeline.

"Then, he didn't really say anything. He just pulled me in and kissed me!" Her whole body contracted with joy.

Silena sighed. Calypso looked like she was ready to break something. I sat there. I couldn't believe how shattered I felt. I caught myself looking at Lacy and wondering what was so special about her. I told myself that I shouldn't care so much; that this was all a part of the Selection. Even if it was way too early for him to be picking favorites.

Honestly, I guess I should've considered myself lucky. It was clear that Calypso's malice had a new target, and after that whole episode with her maids messing up her dress I was glad to see her move on from me. I wasn't oblivious. It was perfectly clear the way Calypso had started to do her hair that she was trying to imitate mine.

Girls had moved around the room, taking chairs with them to form little groups. Lacy had moved to the other side of the room, with some girls following her. Calypso had moved too, but she was only whispering to Drew. Thalia and I moved over to the large couch with Piper. "Do you think she's the only one he's kissed?" Silena whispered in our ears.

Piper heard her concerns. "He wouldn't just kiss anyone! She must have done something right," she lamented.

"Annie and I were talking, but we can't figure out what she could have possibly done to get a kiss before Calypso." Thalia said.

"What if he's kissed half the room and people are keeping quiet about it? Maybe as a part of their strategy," Silena wondered.

"I don't think anyone who kept quiet would necessarily consider that a strategy," I countered. "Maybe they're just private about this sort of thing."

Thalia sucked in a breath. "What if Lacy telling us all this is just some game? Now we're all worried, and it's not as if any of us would actually ask Perseus if he'd kissed her. There's no way to tell if she's lying or not."

"Do you think she would do that?" I directed the question towards the other two girls, who knew Lacy better than I did.

"If she did, I wish I'd thought of it first," Silena replied longingly. Piper only sighed. "This is much more complicated than I thought it would be."

"Tell me about it," I mumbled. "Can you imagine how it will be once the numbers are lower?"

"I like almost everyone in this room, but when I hear about Perseus doing something with someone else, I just want to figure out how I can do better than her," Silena confessed. "I don't like feeling competitive toward you all."

"It's kind of like what I was telling Hazel the other day," Thalia said. "I know she's a little on the timid side, but she's very ladylike and I think she'd make a great princess. I can't be mad at her if she has more dates than me, even if I want the crown myself."

I met eyes with Piper for a second, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. She said _crown,_ not _him._ As much as I loved Thalia, I couldn't believe it. I'd known there were people here only for the crown, but not once did it cross my mind that she was one of them.

"Rachel and I talk about that all the time. How we can see great qualities in each other." Piper added. As we exchanged looks with each other, something felt different. Suddenly I didn't feel as jealous of Lacy or even so at odds with Celeste, even though I still felt those feelings. But I realized that as we were all going through this in a different way, and even maybe for different reasons, we were at least going through it together.

"Maybe Queen Sally was right, about what she said on the report?" I thought back to that night about the piece of advice she'd given to all the girls. "The only thing to do is be yourself. I'd rather have Percy send me home for being myself than keep me for being like somebody else."

"Like Calypso," Piper muttered. "That's true. And in the end, thirty-four people have to go. If I was the last one standing, I'd want to know I had everyone else's support, so we should try to be supportive, too."

We were quiet for a moment, thinking over what we'd said. "What are you guys wearing for the _Narratio_ special tomorrow?" Silena gushed.

The others began talking about the dresses their maids were making for tomorrow, but I didn't speak. In truth, I didn't know what my dress would look like – Mellie had wanted it to be a surprise. It would be my first public appearance since arriving at the palace, and I was nervous. I'd never been on television before, and no doubt most of the country, if not others, would be watching the interviews.

As I was considering leaving the room, thinking now would be a great time to go back to bed, Aphrodite came in looking slightly frazzled. Strands of hair were falling out of her up-do, she wore a beautiful white dress and she had lots of papers in her hands.

"Annabeth?" She sounded out of breath and I wondered what she and Queen had been doing all morning. It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me.

"Yes?" I stood and turned to face her. She didn't waste any time in scolding me. "You're late."

Late? It was a free day, we didn't have any plans. "I'm sorry? Late for what?" Our mentor had entered the room and grabbed my arm, leading me towards the door. Conversation had stopped. "My schedule shows you are having lunch with the prince, are you not?"

"What?" Lacy screeched. Maybe she thought I was stealing the limelight? I didn't get a chance to say anything, or even change, as I was led off into a different part of the palace.

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**There's Chapter 7! I'm sorry it's a little on the shorter side, but I've been in a WoC mood so I'm working on that! Please, go follow my tumblr! (annabitch-chase) I post excerpts for whatever I'm working on there, and I'd love to see more of my readers following me!**

**Also, congratulations to Annabeth Brady – my new Beta! Not only is she the best editor, but an incredible writer! She's got some cool stories, so go check those out! (:**

**Last chapter we got 77 REVIEWS, which is insane! Now we almost have 300; you guys are the best readers a girl could ask for! **

**Next Chapter: I'm thinking that I'll introduce you to some of the other girls, build up the behind the scenes drama… What do you think should happen? Tell me in a review, and below is the short Q&A with some frequently asked questions so check those! I'll see you all later! SexyPurpleBeast**

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**Frequently Asked Questions**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: What do the numbers stand for?

**A. The numbers associated with each girl are their caste. Like the book, it determines how rich/poor a family is along with what job you can have – similar to class. However, I adapted which jobs went with which to fit the girls.**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: When and where does this story take place?

**A. This story takes place in futuristic North America, but with an almost fairy tale twist. Also, Earth of the future has learned about the existence of Gods, so they are worshipped and believed in – but they don't interact with mortals very much…**

**Q. **Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades: Will there be an Aspen? Omg! Will it be Luke?!

**A. Yes! There will be an Aspen equivalent, but I cannot guarantee it will be Luke. Since I'm changing up the story line a bit, things will have to be different so I'm not playing favorites.**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: This is so original, I love it! How did you come up with the idea?

**A. Unfortunately, I didn't. This is based off the AMAZING book trilogy, THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass. I've taken the general idea and played around with it to fit this story, so if you haven't read it yet – go buy the books!**

**Q. **Destined Dreams: This is a Percabeth fanfic, right? She 'has' to end up with Percy and soon.

**A. Nope, sorry! With my experience, those two are usually the easiest for me to write, find inspiration as to what they'd say, etc. They will have the most POVs, but once the winner is selected, I'll change it.**

**Q. **Swagpiper: Am I the only one who wants Percy/Calypso? I've wanted that since the BoL book! I'm probably in the minority...

**A. Nope! Calypso is actually in the top 3 right now, so I guess Percy/Calypso is not a minority after all – I really didn't think she'd be this popular, though. It's fantastic!**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: Why is Calypso still here? Send her home!

**A. Unfortunately, she's still here because apparently a lot of you like her. Lots of PMs vote for her and she's leading in the poll, because I guess you all are scared of hate? Idk, I'm kind of curious – but I love the fact she's still here. Drama, people, it makes the story…**

**Q. **Alice: Why did you send Zoe home so early?

**A. Honestly, I felt I didn't know enough about her to develop her character in a way that would do her justice. Personally, I loved her in TC, but she just wasn't meant to be in this story. Plus she's a huntress, so she could never really be with Percy.**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: Will we hear more about the other candidates?

**A. Yup! I'm doing my best to involve them more and more as the chapters progress. One of the next few chapters will be huge and you will get to know all the remaining girls!**

**Q. **Multiple reviewers: How did Calypso not get sent home for hitting Annabeth?

**A. Haha, I have no idea. In a future chapter that will be addressed, but since I haven't written it yet I'm not sure. Hopefully the reason will live up to your expectations.**

**Q. **Percabeth99999: Is there going to be a sequel?

**A. Not that I'm planning, this will be a longer story than my others, almost twice as long. Then because once school starts, updates will not be as frequent, I'm hoping that I'll still have a good fifteen to twenty chapters to work with inspiration from THE ONE, which is the final book in the trilogy this book is inspired by!**

**Q. **MinecraftLuver: Can you inform us how many votes each has?

**A. Originally I wasn't planning on it, but since I've gotten so many requests to do so I've changed my mind. However, I will only post them every 10 chapters. So once Chapter 10 goes up, everybody will get their first look at the standings!**


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